Review of Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

***** 5 STARS:  Wow, just WOW. Once in a while, a book comes along right when you need it. For me, Slammed was this type of book. I took away many important messages, ones that I needed to be reminded of lately and that can only enhance my life and make me a better mother and person. For that alone, I say "thank you" to Colleen Hoover.

The story took me somewhat by surprise as I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I didn't want to read too many reviews once I started to hear about this book, mainly because it is so highly rated and I didn't want to read any accidental spoilers. I wasn't prepared to be so touched by the characters, the journeys they take, and the challenges presented to them. I absolutely love all the people in this book, and Hoover does an AMAZING job making you feel like you know them without being long-winded and going into excruciating detail. Everything just flows and the book is an amazingly quick read with simple yet complex messages.

This book is full of contradictions...it's happy, it's sad...it's funny, it's serious...it's elation, it's devastion...it's everything a book should be. Do yourself a favor and read it. You will laugh, you'll cry, and you'll learn a lot of important life lessons. In case you can't tell, I absolutely loved this book and Colleen Hoover, you are amazing! Thank you for opening my eyes and for introducing me to slam poetry, The Avett Brothers, and Marty Schoenleber.

Review of Easy by Tammara Webber

When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex's frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night - but her savior, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.

When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.

Mature Young Adult / New Adult

***** 5 STARS

Tammara Webber - I love you...I love your writing and that you tackled an important issue in a realistic manner! I really enjoyed this mature YA story, especially Lucas :-) He is charming, thoughtful, intelligent, gorgeous, artistic, funny, and tortured with a horrific past. I also loved Erin, Jacqueline's best friend. She was a hoot! The theme of "girl power" was wonderful to see as well. The dialogue in Easy is realistic as are the situations the characters find themselves in. Webber addresses...mTammara Webber - I love you...I love your writing and that you tackled an important issue in a realistic manner! I really enjoyed this mature YA story, especially Lucas :-) He is charming, thoughtful, intelligent, gorgeous, artistic, funny, and tortured with a horrific past. I also loved Erin, Jacqueline's best friend. She was a hoot! The theme of "girl power" was wonderful to see as well. The dialogue in Easy is realistic as are the situations the characters find themselves in. Webber addresses an important topic for females, which is why I would recommend all women over the age of 16-18 (due to the subject matter, although I wish I could give this to younger girls as well) read this book. Tammara, along with a few other YA authors, is trying to pave the way for a new category of books - mature young adult/early adult - featuring college aged (18-23) characters. Even though I'm a 36 year old mother of two young kids, I really enjoy reading about this age group. It makes me reminise, which I like as I use reading as my escape from my crazy everyday life. Also, with this age group, authors can tackle different subject matter and themes that might be a little too mature for the younger teen audience. The steam factor and the maturity of the romances can also be turned up as well, again something I enjoy reading. (view spoiler)SLIGHT SPOLIER: The subject of rape and date rape are addressed in a realistic manner by the author. The fact that some believe the victims and some don't is common as are the vicitms' reactions to the crimes against them. I LOVED how Webber tied this part of the plot to what horrifically happened to Lucas's mother. I cried (which I don't typically do while reading books) on a few occasions while reading this. Ironically, my favorite "quote" in this book was actually not in the story itself but in the acknowledgement section: "To those who relate to any part of this story - if you haven't told, tell. Even if it's been months, years, decades. Tell someone. We remain silent because we've taken responsibility and/or a shame that was never ours to carry. Forgive yourself for things that were not your fault. Bad decisions, mistaken trust, physical weakness, or too much fear to act do not make an assault on you or someone you care about your fault. Ever."  END SPOLIER Do yourself a favor and read this book. It's funny, romantic, realistic, and poigent, but it has a happy ending. I think this would make a great movie someday as well.

Review of Big Girls Do It Married by Jasinda Wilder

Life was finally starting to make sense. And then he showed up...again. Now, I have to make the biggest decision of my life, and someone will end up heartbroken. I can only hope that someone isn't me.

***** 5 STARS:  I've LOVED this series. As a curvy woman myself, I've struggled with the same body and confidence issues as Anna. I adore her character! She's intelligent, funny and sexy. Watching her accept herself and embrace her sexuality in a way helped me to do the same. I really enjoyed that aspect of the books and thank Jasinda for writing them.

Let's not forget the incredibly sexy men in these books either! Jeff and Chase were HOT and sweet, as well as I instrumental to Anna becoming the woman she does in the end. And the sex was HOT and very sexy in all this series. Wow!

The wedding scene in this book brought tears to my eyes. I definitely think she picked the right guy. I highly recommend this series for someone who enjoys funny and very sexy stories. I can't wait for the rest of this series to continue!