I love how when I need a solid read, Kasie West ALWAYS delivers. I do not like how when I finish one of her books that means there’s one less book in my reserves. The feeling of having a Kasie West book to look forward to is amazing. P.S. I Like You is the latest Kasie West book that I read, actually, I read it on Christmas Eve instead of wrapping up presents like I was supposed to do. FYI, I regret NOTHING!
Lily, the narrating main character of Kasie West’s PS I Like You is what you might call unique. She has her own sense of fashion and writes songs. Only, no one ever sees or hears her song lyrics. Anyways, she has this notebook that she’s always writing in and she gets caught by her chemistry teacher and is restricted to one piece of paper to take notes on. Bored, Lily scribbles out some lyrics on the desk. Imagine her surprise when she sees the obscure lyrics completed by another student the next day. What happens is a bit of a secret penpal thing. Lily, of course, begins to fall for her penpal. Will her pen pal return her feelings?
YOU GUYS! I LOVE THIS BOOK, PS! I bet like a thousand other reviewers have already said that and I am terribly unoriginal. Alas, Kasie West has knocked it out of the park again. So, I guessed who Lily’s pen pal was pretty quickly and thank goodness. This book has one of my favorite types of romance. There’s definitely some major chemistry between Lily and the mystery guy — both when they write to each other and when they interact with each other outside of the desk. The way that the romance plays out in P.S. I Like You will be sure to have you grinning.
Other bonus elements in P.S. I Like You? There’s Lily’s family. Both of her parents are still together and she’s one of four kids. Life is hectic with Lily’s family and it is the best. If you like books with big families, you’ll enjoy this one. There’s also Lily’s friendship which is wonderful and makes me think a little bit of Ann and Leslie, but as teenagers with insecurities. I just really basically overall love this book and if you need a delight in your life, you should read it.
Other reviews of P.S. I Like You by Kasie West:
- Andi’s ABCs – “I was left swooning and smiling“
- Quinn’s Book Nook – “fans of her books will still so enjoy this one“
- The Book Hookup – “I seriously feel punch-drunk giddy“
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My Heart And Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga is a bit heavier than my typical fare lately. This is the sort of book that just really hits you in the gut. It really sticks with you too. I wouldn’t call this an issue book even though the theme of suicide plays pretty heavily into the story. My Heart And Other Black Holes is the book for you if you’re looking for a more serious contemporary book.
Jasmine Warga’s My Heart And Other Black Holes is told from the point of view of Aysel. Aysel is currently a member of this suicide pact message board website. One day she logs on and finds someone looking for a suicide partner within her general geography. So, she messages the person. She goes the meet the person and it turns out that he’s this popular guy from a nearby town. Aysel goes to meet him and finds out why he wants to end his life.
She, however, holds back as to why she wants to end hers. Yet, the two make a pact to end on a specific day that is important to Roman – pertaining to a tragedy that he experienced. However, as Aysel begins to know Roman more, she essentially falls for him and finds herself wanting to prevent his death and maybe even looking at her death differently too.
My Heart And Other Black Holes is an incredible read. I think that the way Warga ties in physics is worthy of admiration. The way Aysel is written – from her self imposed loneliness at school to why she beats herself up over something that happened in the past – is expertly done. I loved how she evolves Aysel’s feelings about the act that she wants to commit. It’s a natural, gradual evolution.
I listened to the audiobook of My Heart And Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga via Hoopla. It’s narrated by Rebecca Lowman who is going on my list of narrators to look for. Lowman captures the essence of the writing and character so wonderfully. The audiobook is definitely listen-worthy.
Other reviews of My Heart And Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga:
- Pure Imagination – “a compelling read“
- Leaning Tower Of Tomes – “a perfect balance of humor and hope“
- The Book Nut – “a story of hope“
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Between Us And The Moon by Rebecca Maizel was an audiobook that I listened to on a whim. Sure, I had a hard copy laying around the house that I was ready to read and release via decluttering. However, there are tons of books like that around the house. Yet, something about the cover and the story just struck me at a particular moment this December. So, I decided to give the audiobook a whirl and download it from Hoopla. Alas, I did not love Between Us And The Moon very much.
Between Us And The Moon is Rebecca Maizel’s story about this girl named Sarah who is really into charting the sky for a potential scholarship. In the beginning of the summer she is broken up with by her long time boyfriend because he’s a douche who cheated on her. She then goes to Cape Cod for the summer at her aunt’s house. Her older sister Scarlet is heading out to ballet school. Scarlet is very glamorous and outgoing. Sarah wants to be more like her, so she borrows her swim suit and goes to the beach. There she meets a boy. A COLLEGE BOY named Andrew to be exact. Only, Sarah’s like fifteen when the book starts and eventually turns 16. Or maybe it was 16 and turns 17. Either way, the girl is jailbait.
Essentially the book is all about how Sarah really comes into her own and puts a little less pressure on herself and begins to dress differently. It’s about how she pursues this romance with Andrew because he’s older and mature and so different from the ex boyfriend, also it seems like something that Scarlet would do. Eventually though, Sarah does get caught in her lies and it will come to kind of haunt her.
I guess I find myself feeling aggravated that she lied about her age to her romantic interest. I mean, she could get him into serious trouble and for what? A summer of adventure? Perhaps I am a bit of an old stick in the mud but this was super irksome. I guess I really felt like Sarah was kind of annoying and I felt hard pressed to feel any empathy for her.
As for the audiobook, it is narrated by Luci Christian. It is 9 hours and 53 minutes long — and you do feel every bit of that length. I thought this audiobook was okay, but I am not sure that I enthusiastically recommend it.
Other reviews of Between Us And The Moon by Rebecca Maizel:
- Reading With Jenna – “I felt like there wasn’t enough character development in the book“
- A Book And A Latte – “I felt Rebecca Maizel’s writing and characterizations were fantastic“
- The Young Folks – “I was pleasantly surprised“
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I really liked P.S. I Like You, too. It’s not my favorite West book, but it was cute. I think my favorite was The Fill-In Boyfriend. Or possibly The Distance Between Us.
Out of all these books, the only one I’ve read is My Heart and Other Black Holes which I thought was a great portrayal of mental illness AND it was so hard hitting and emotional. I need to pick up PS I Like You soon! Kasie is great at contemporary 🙂
Ugggh I love Kasie West too I know exactly the feeling you are talking about. I don’t know why I haven’t bought and read this book yet, I am being seriously slack but I promise to get onto it ….eventually.