One Old, One New: The Miranda Kenneally Edition

One Old, One New features two books - one old, one new, which are connected in some way. Today, I am sharing two books by Miranda Kenneally!

Four Days of You and Me
Miranda Kenneally
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

A new swoon-worthy romance following a couple's love story on the same date over four years.

Every May 7, the students at Coffee County High School take a class trip. And every year, Lulu’s relationship with Alex Rouvelis gets a little more complicated. Freshman year, they went from sworn enemies to more than friends after a close encounter in an escape room. It’s been hard for Lulu to quit Alex ever since.

Through breakups, make ups, and dating other people, each year’s class trip brings the pair back together and forces them to confront their undeniable connection. From the science museum to an amusement park, from New York City to London, Lulu learns one thing is for sure: love is the biggest trip of all.

I am going to be upfront with you, I am a super fan of the Hundred Oaks series. You could only imagine how excited I was, when I heard about this book. But, my excitement came with high expectations, and I am happy to say, they were exceeded.

Kenneally's other eight books all had romance in them, but the focus always seemed to be on the main character, and the issues she was working through. This book was a full-on romance. The relationship between Lulu and Alex took center stage, and I was really excited about that.

The Timeline

The book is broken into four parts, starting on the same day each year - May 7th, the annual class trip. I followed Lulu and Alex from Freshman to Senior year, and though I didn't spend the entire time with them, flashbacks supplied me with all the important events in their relationship, which lead them to the day of the field trip. I thought the format was clever, and felt it was done well. I looked forward to finding out the fate of Lulu and Alex each May 7th. Were they together? Were they apart? And, how did they get there? I know I was eager to find out.

The Growth

Because, I got to spend four years with these two, I really got to see how much they changed from one class trip to the next. Not only did their relationship evolve, they evolved. It was such a treat for me, as a reader, to get to see some of their dreams and aspirations take shape and come to fruition. I felt so involved in their journey, and I was keen on seeing what was next for them.

The Romance

The one thing Lulu and Alex never had a lack of was passion. When they were younger, it came across as hostility, but that quickly turned into sparks and fire. I was all about this ship. I was there at the dock, I christened it, and I was ready to bail the water out, because I was not allowing this ship to sink. Like any relationship, though, Alex and Lulu had their ups and downs. They were on and off, but never out of love.

You could see their understanding of their relationship changing as they aged. People grew, priorities changed, and they became ready to handle the many different aspects that come with a mature relationship. Kenneally has never shied away from sex in her books, so I was not surprised to see a lot of talk about the physical side of the relationship, but she also tackled the emotional side, which is such important part, and one that should be getting more attention.

The Ending

The ending was wonderful! Seriously, I had a big grin on my face. Yet, after spending four years with these two, I wanted more. It wasn't because I was worried about their relationship, but rather, I was curious about the path each character was on. Kenneally gave both Lulu and Alex such bright futures, and they were well on their way to making them a reality. I so wanted to be a part of that. A follow up novella would be ah-mazing. I'm just saying....

Overall: This was a beautiful story of love and growing up, and I would be ecstatic to spend more May 7ths with Lulu and Alex.

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

Defending Taylor
Miranda Kenneally
Series: Hundred Oaks, #7
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Rating: out of 5 stars
Goodreads

There are no mistakes in love.

Captain of the soccer team, president of the Debate Club, contender for valedictorian: Taylor's always pushed herself to be perfect. After all, that's what is expected of a senator's daughter. But one impulsive decision-one lie to cover for her boyfriend-and Taylor's kicked out of private school. Everything she's worked so hard for is gone, and now she's starting over at Hundred Oaks High.

Soccer has always been Taylor's escape from the pressures of school and family, but it's hard to fit in and play on a team that used to be her rival. The only person who seems to understand all that she's going through is her older brother's best friend, Ezra. Taylor's had a crush on him for as long as she can remember. But it's hard to trust after having been betrayed. Will Taylor repeat her past mistakes or can she score a fresh start?

Taylor made a bad decision. She made a mistake, which derailed her entire future. Expelled from the prep school, which was a stepping stone to Yale, she must try and get her life back on track. All these changes were challenging for Taylor, but they were also challenging her idea of what she wanted, and had her second guessing her plans.

I can now say, that I have read all the Hundred Oaks books. One thing I love about this series is the way Miranda Kenneally uses lessons her teen self had learned for plots in these books.

This time around, we have Taylor, the good girl, who is so focused on her future, that she is failing to live in the present. Her struggles to maintain that edge, and be able to do it all, sometimes drove her to seek prescription drugs to help her stay awake and focused. While glancing at the topic of prescription drug abuse, Kenneally dives deeper into the different stressors teens encounter in high school. The need to be top of the class, to stay competitive, to build that resume, to win that spot at a top notch school -- these are all wonderful goals, but they often come at a price.

Though Taylor's fall from grace left her bruised and a bit broken, it was sort of a blessing in disguise. She found herself examining her wants and needs, and finding that they didn't quite match up. I liked quite a few things Kenneally did with this plot line. There were discussions among the characters about post high school plans, and guess what? They didn't all involve going right to college, or college at all, and that's ok. They talked about not necessarily knowing what they wanted to do, and that's ok too. They also addressed familial expectations, and how difficult it could be to go against what is expected, and I think that was one of the more difficult hurdles for Taylor. She was lucky though, because her family loved her. Yes, they were not happy with the choices she made, and these choices did affect the family, but they never stopped loving her. They knew she was more than her one mistake.

I have to mention, that I felt a strong emotional attachment to Taylor. She told a lie, which ended up costing her a LOT, but the biggest loss for her, was the trust and respect of her family. My heart ached, and let me tell you, there were tears. I was quite moved by her journey, but also really proud of her, when she found the strength to push forward. She began to accept her new normal, and to try and make her own future. She confronted the uncomfortable truths, and opened herself up to new people and experiences. It wasn't easy, and I respected how she persevered.

Now, my favorite part - the romance! I love the history between these two. They had so many shared memories and experiences, I really wanted this to work out. Their lives were both in limbo at the moment too. Taylor was trying to plan her next steps, after her life imploded, while Ezra was also still figuring out his future plans after taking a leave from college. It was sort of wonderful the way they could help each other through this tricky period of their lives, but also not let the other person's plans dictate their own.

My only problem was with the ending. It was fun ending, and things seemed to be going well, but it was so open. I am so not a fan of open endings. I almost wish Kenneally did a finale like Abbi Glines did for her Sea Breeze series. I loved getting that string of epilogues for all the couples.

Overall, though, I loved this book. I hold this series close to my heart, and I recommend reading all the author's notes in these books, because they are really special.

What was your favorite school trip?
Let us know in the comments!