#AmReading YA

Sunkissed
Kasie West
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

A lighthearted and swoony contemporary YA romance by fan-favorite author Kasie West about a girl who finds that a summer spent at a family resort isn’t as bad as she imagined…and that falling in love is filled with heartache, laughter, and surprises!

After being betrayed by her best friend, Avery is hoping for a picture-perfect summer. Too bad her parents have dragged her and her sister to a remote family camp for the entire summer. And that’s not even the worst part. Avery also has to deal with no internet, a cute but off-limits staff member, and an always-in-her-face sister.

But what starts as a disaster turns into a whirlwind summer romance as Avery embarks on an unexpected journey to figure out what she truly wants and who she wants to be.

She was go-with-the-flow Avery and was hoping her summer in the woods would be drama free. But as Avery started moving a bit outside her comfort zone, she uncovered some important things about herself. Maybe a little drama could lead to great things. 

Picking up a Kasie West book is like coming home. I have long adored her books, because I can depend on them to leave me with a smile on my face, and Sunkissed had me grinning from ear-to-ear. 

Avery felt like everything in her life was someone else's idea. She went along with it, because it was easier to stay with the familiar rather than push outside her comfort zone. When she met Brooks, she was immediately taken by his passion for music. Why didn't she have something in her life that she was enthusiastic about? Thus, the summer would be a summer of searching for her "thing". This part of the story led to the camp and its amenities being well utilized. There may not have been wifi, but the camp had a lot to offer. From hiking to a super-sized slip-n-slide, I got the full camp tour, and it was a treat. 

The underlying message here was a good one too. It's hard to push beyond people's expectations of you, and who they think you are. But, people grow and change, and they cannot keep being who others think they should be. That was something Avery struggled with, and I applauded her for pushing herself over those walls others built around her. 

My favorite part of the story was the friendships and romance that Avery experienced. Each new person saw a part of her that she failed to recognize, and it was wonderful seeing her embrace those parts of herself for the first time. I also am always here for a sweet and adorable romance, and  I am happy to report, that this romance got the attention it deserved. There were lots of kisses and swoony moments to fill the heart with joy. 

 

I will forever be a Kasie West fan, because her books always leave me with a warm and happy heart. Sunkissed was classic West - sweet adorable romance, low drama, and personal growth. It was a fun read, from beginning to end, and it was terrific to see Avery find her voice. 

Counting Down with You
Tashie Bhuiyan
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

A reserved Bangladeshi teenager has twenty-eight days to make the biggest decision of her life after agreeing to fake date her school’s resident bad boy. How do you make one month last a lifetime?

Karina Ahmed has a plan. Keep her head down, get through high school without a fuss, and follow her parents’ rules—even if it means sacrificing her dreams. When her parents go abroad to Bangladesh for four weeks, Karina expects some peace and quiet. Instead, one simple lie unravels everything.

Karina is my girlfriend.

Tutoring the school’s resident bad boy was already crossing a line. Pretending to date him? Out of the question. But Ace Clyde does everything right—he brings her coffee in the mornings, impresses her friends without trying, and even promises to buy her a dozen books (a week) if she goes along with his fake-dating facade. Though Karina agrees, she can’t help but start counting down the days until her parents come back.

T-minus twenty-eight days until everything returns to normal—but what if Karina no longer wants it to?

Karina has always appreciated the sacrifices her parents made when they left Bangladesh for America. Because of all they had done and continued to do for her, she tried to be the model daughter. She attended a STEM school, although math and science were difficult for her. She joined the pre-med society and went along with their plan for her to become a doctor, even though this was not her dream. Left for a month with her grandmother while her parents visited family in Bangladesh, Karina got to a taste of freedom, and she wasn't sure she would be able to be the model daughter any longer. 

I really felt for Karina as she struggled with trying to fulfill her parents' dreams, while also being true to herself. She finally had a real opportunity to exercise her autonomy, and it was an eye-opening experience for her. She learned a lot about the choices she had been making, but also came to understand some things about her parents. The entire process was not an easy one for her, but it had a positive outcome. 

The inner conflict Karina was dealing with was ever present in the story, but it was interspersed with a lot of joy. Here are a some things that delighted me as I read Counting Down to You:

1. Karina's grandmother Dadu was an absolute star. You must understand how much I loved my Oma, and I adore grandparents in books. Dadu was a stellar example of why we cherish our grandparents so much. She was the embodiment of love. She gave support and encouragement to Karina and always seemed to know how to soothe her wounds. She was probably one of my favorite characters in the whole book, if I am being honest. 
2. Karina's friends also provided her with a solid support system. Though they didn't necessarily agree with her entertaining her parents every demand, they went along with it and were always available for venting or a warm hug. 
3. Fake dating is a trope I never tire of, and Bhuiyan did a great job with it. There were all those fun fake-date type things we have grown to expect, and I loved watching those sparks fly for real between the couple and then finally ignite. The romance between Ace and Karina was precious, and I was really rooting for them. 
4. Karina and her brother Samir shared a great relationship. Though he sometimes had loose lips, Samir was there for Karina, when their parents were being extra hard on her. The affection they shared was obvious, and I just loved it. 
5. Ace was not a bad boy at all. In fact, he was a darling sweetheart of a boy, who owned my heart. Seriously, he bought her books, many, many books. 😍

Overall: Bhuiyan did a beautiful job bringing me into Karina's life. I appreciated her journey, was grateful for her stupendous support system, and adored the adorable romance. 

**ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

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