April Showers by Karli Perrin

Title: April Showers
Author: Karli Perrin
Series: #1
Length: 271 pages
Format: ebook/Kindle

Description from Goodreads:

What happens when your head and your heart pull you in completely opposite directions?

April Adams is about to find out the hard way.

When April enrols at Manchester University, it feels like a whole new life. New city, new house, new friends...new crush.

Isaac Sharpe is the hottest guy on campus - with an even hotter reputation. After a chance meeting, April quickly finds herself wrapped up in all that he is. But what if all that he is isn't what it seems?

Caught up in a battle between what she wants and what she thinks she needs, April meets Lukas Roberts. Lukas is the security blanket that she craves so desperately and she finds solace in their friendship. But what happens when she finds more than she bargained for?

April has always been a big believer of fate, but will she learn that she's in control of her own destiny before it's too late?

Join April as she embarks on a life changing journey of love and loss, which will have you laughing and crying until the very end.

My Thoughts:

      Are you in the mood for sexy British guys who write under a lantern hung tree in the park, always save you a seat in class, who are chivalrous, gentlemanly, downright sexy, and are holding secrets? Do you want to read a book where the heroine loves red wine, dresses awesomely, cares for the two guys mentioned above, and is terribly afraid of getting hurt? If so then you should probably read April Showers by Karli Perrin.
      April transfers to a new college and makes "friends" with two very different guys Isaac and Lukas. One is sophisticated and mysterious and the other is sweet and caring. The problem? They are both keeping secrets that have the power to break April's heart and destroy her trust. Who will she choose?
       I love April! She is full of awesome and comes across as a character you would actually want to be friends with. She is "real". She worries, knows how to have fun, and drinks a ton of wine. What's not to like? The story takes her through not only finding a new romance, but finding who she really is. As for the guys they are both great. They seem to truly care about April and both are great friends to her in their own way (especially Lukas). My only problem with them is that they both seemed to care about/like April too much and way too fast. The build up wasn't as natural as I would have liked. Did this take away from the story at all? No! This is a love triangle and can do that. I love love triangles, but April Showers has much more than that going for it. Getting to read about April interacting with Isaac and Lukas in different settings is somewhat unusual. The majority of the time settings are somewhat static. By doing this Karli Perrin display the character's personalities in a new light. When the "big reveal" comes for each guy I wasn't expecting it and that is always a plus. In the end I think April made the right decision and I was happy with everything...and then BAM! Something happens and Hello Sequel! The ending will leave you saying, "Huh? What? Wait? What just happened? When is the next one out?" I give April Showers a 4 STAR rating.

The Kiss Off by Sarah Billington

Title: The Kiss Off
Author: Sarah Billington
Publisher: Billington Media; 1 edition (May 11, 2012)
Length: 262 pages
Format: eBook


Description from Goodreads:

When sixteen year old Poppy Douglas writes a song about her ex-boyfriend Cam and ex-friend Nikki, she has no idea that her heartbreak is about to go global.

A local band picks up her song from Youtube and soon she’s along for the ride with her own fanbase as they blow up on the local club scene and hit the international charts. Though it turns out leaving Cam behind isn’t as easy as she had hoped.

Tangled in a web of unfinished homework, ill-considered sexting and a new lead-singer boyfriend, Poppy has a choice to make between the ex that inspired it all and the rock God whose poster lines the inside of half the lockers at school. But as she struggles to keep her emotional dirty laundry private, she learns that the truth can be hard to find when your life is in the headlines.


My Thoughts:

The Kiss Off sounded like a cute book, so I picked it up and thankfully it was! Poppy is an angry, sarcastic, songwriting mash-up of teenage girl and drama. Boy was this book filled with drama. Poor Poppy has been wronged by her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her with her ex-friend/coworker. So, what does she do? Write an angry girl song about and put it on YouTube. An up and coming band recognizes it for the genius that it is and has a meteoric rise to fame due to said song. Poppy and the lead singer hit it off and a relationship ensues. The this is Poppy is only 16 years old and might not be ready to deal with not only a long distance relationship, but having a rock star for a boyfriend. To top it all off her ex-boyfriend is showing interest again their breakup might not have been what she thought.

I must admit I loved Poppy's boy drama, especially because it isn't mine. Both of the guys in her life have their good and bad qualities. Cam is the ex and throughout the story readers can see that he still feels something for Poppy, whether friendship or something more...you'll just have to read and see. Then there is Ty the super talented and sexy rock star who loved her song. He is nice and seems to sincerely like Poppy, but there is always the question of if he really likes her or just her song. Add to that the troubles that come with being a celebrity boyfriend on tour and Ty and Poppy are in for a bumpy ride.

There is a host of other characters, but my favorite by far was Poo Bum the dog! I loved his stinky doggy self and the comedic relief he added to the story. The only characters that I wasn't too impressed with were Mads and Vanya. Mads seemed to do a complete 180 and Vanya had all but disappeared by the end of the book. . Last and most pickiest was some of the phrases seemed a little off...almost British. Perhaps it was just me. I definitely can't wait until the sequel comes out. I give this book a 4 STAR rating!