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Are you shocked? More book reviews! It’s never ending, I know.

 

On The Fence by Kasie West 

  

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From Goodreads:

For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn’t know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she’s spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.

To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can’t solve Charlie’s biggest problem: she’s falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

This was a pretty cute novel, although before starting I didn’t realize it was about a girl in high school. It was a little young for me, but I do have to say the author did a really great job of turning a teen romance into a coming of age novel. The main character, Charlie, goes from being a self-conscious tomboy to being a young woman who opens up to new experiences and learns to be herself without worrying what anyone else thinks of her. It was a cute read and definitely a good book if you’re looking for something fun and quick, or if you have a younger sibling or friend who loves to read.

 

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

From Goodreads:

Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your teenage stepson is being bullied and your math whiz daughter has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can’t afford to pay for. That’s Jess’s life in a nutshell—until an unexpected knight-in-shining-armor offers to rescue them. Only Jess’s knight turns out to be Geeky Ed, the obnoxious tech millionaire whose vacation home she happens to clean. But Ed has big problems of his own, and driving the dysfunctional family to the Math Olympiad feels like his first unselfish act in ages . . . maybe ever.

I actually just finished this book yesterday and I really enjoyed it. The main idea behind the novel is realizing that you need your family, no matter what odd shape it might come in. It wasn’t 100% predicable like many romantic comedy novels are, which I really appreciated. I had a feeling I knew how it would all turn out, but I definitely didn’t see how they were going to get there. This was definitely a fun book that I enjoyed reading.

 

The Moonlight Palace by Liz Rosenberg

From Goodreads:

Agnes Hussein, descendant of the last sultan of Singapore and the last surviving member of her immediate family, has grown up among her eccentric relatives in the crumbling Kampong Glam palace, a once-opulent relic given to her family in exchange for handing over Singapore to the British.

Now Agnes is seventeen and her family has fallen into genteel poverty, surviving on her grandfather’s pension and the meager income they receive from a varied cast of boarders. As outside forces conspire to steal the palace out from under them, Agnes struggles to save her family and finds bravery, love, and loyalty in the most unexpected places. The Moonlight Palace is a coming-of-age tale rich with historical detail and unforgettable characters set against the backdrop of dazzling 1920s Singapore.

I wouldn’t normally have picked up this book, but I received it for free with Amazon Prime and I’m glad I got the chance to read it (perhaps I should go out of my reading comfort zone more often!). I loved being able to see the history and culture of a country that I know very little about, all while following the story of a very odd family and their home. This book had a little romance, coming of age, and definitely kept me guessing. I really enjoyed reading it (trust me, just get through the first couple chapters!!!!) and would recommend the book to anyone!

 

Were you a big “reader” when you were younger? 

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