Reviews: Open Road Summer by Emery Lord & One Past Midnight by Jessica Shirvington

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord
Walker Childrens 
April 15, 2014
4/5 stars
Source: Publisher (Finished copy)
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Open Road Summer was recommended to me countless times by people who know I love contemporary books. Also I find out this is a road trip book.. with a music theme? and is about the best friend of the super star? can this book get any better? I loved that it isn't about the star, and the girls actually have a very caring and sweet relationship. The main protagonist, Reagan, is far from perfect. She had multiple brushes with the law, she, on purpose, wears suggestive clothes, and pretty much attracts any trouble within a 50 mile radius. However, she's smart, a great friend, and so caring to everyone she loves (limited to her best friend, Lilah, and her dad). One thing I need to include in this review is how Lilah's mom treated Reagan. She was such a motherly figure, didn't judge Raegan for her issues, and was just so sweet, a total 180 turn from the expected cliche plot route. I have started to really appreciate books that try to keep it original, realistic, and just unique. I know everyone loves Matt Finch and find him dreamy and swoon over the romance with him and Raegan, and I do, I really did love it, but that's not what I mostly loved about this book. The friendship just really got to me and Raegan's personal problems and her trying to deal with them. Matt is cute, definitely a great love interest and I think contemporary fans's swoon meter will sky rocket. But this book is so much more than the romance, and I think contemporary books nowadays aren't just fluff and I am loving the direction these authors, including Lord, are taking. I definitely recommend Open Road Summer, because it is a fantastic book that has everything, the friendship, romance, fluff, emotional development, and relatable and realistic characters and plot. I am very excited for Lord's upcoming book! 

One Past Midnight by Jessica Shirvington

Bloomsbury USA Childrens

July 22, 2014

2/5 stars

Source: Publisher (eARC)

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I am just so disappointed with this book. I love love (yes double love) Jessica Shirvington's Violet Eden Chapters series and I devoured all five books and think the romance is one of the best developed romances in YA books… however One Past Midnight, be it the plot, character development, or romance.. everything fell completely short and flat. The beginning was very promising, with Sabine living two parallel lives.. basically reliving her day twice, at exactly 12:00am each day she transfers to her first life, then after her 24 hours, she transfers to her second one, and after that 24 hours, she's back to the first, at exactly 12:01, so she technically doesn't miss anything from both worlds. One day she discovers that breaking her wrist in one world didn't transfer in the other, the first time this has happened. She goes on a quest to try and test this theory further by cutting herself (disgusting btw, had to skip that page), burning herself (skip again), taking laxatives, etc. All that to see if it does transfer, and if not then she can finally end one of her lives. Scary right? yes yes it is! however author took a completely different turn with it and Sabine just started doing stupid things that got her into unnecessary situations and everything was so so convenient on the romance line. The ending was too perfectly wrapped up and I just couldn't handle it. I honestly expected so much more from Shirvington but I was sadly disappointed.