Book Review: What You Always Wanted by Kristin Rae

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What You Always Wanted
If Only... #8
Author: Kristin Rae
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: March 29th 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

 

If Only . . . he was the boy she's been dreaming of. The If Only line continues in this fun high school theater-themed romance!

Drama girl Maddie Brooks has always had high standards for guys. But she has yet to find one who can live up to the romantic, classic Hollywood heartthrobs, especially the dreamy song-and-dance man Gene Kelly. When Maddie begins to carpool with Jesse Morales, her new neighbor and star pitcher of the baseball team, she's struck by his wit, good looks, and love for his family--but a guy so into sports is definitely not her style. Then Maddie discovers that Jesse was raised as a dancer and still practices in the community theater dance studio to keep in shape. Perhaps her perfect dream guy exists after all! But when it becomes clear that baseball--not dance--is Jessie's passion, can Maddie find a way to let her dream guy go and appreciate the charms of the amazing guy in front of her?

I love when a book makes you smile from beginning to end. Specially, when it's a book that you were not expecting to swoon over. Maddie is a funny character and had me laughing throughout this story. I loved how this story took me by surprise.

I went through a period in which I wanted to watch all 80s movies. It's a great way to expand your knowledge in something that you love. This is what I loved most about Maddie. I love her enthusiasm for movies and her knowledge in great cinema. Although there are titles mentioned that I need to watch. See, reading is fundamental. Not only is she into movies but Maddie is respectful and doesn't whine like teens her age. She's mature at her age in some levels.

Making a move from a big city to a small town, can be difficult for kids, but Maddie took the news like a champ. One of the things I admired is the fact that she was trying to find the perfect boyfriend. Didn't we all go through that phase? We all wanted to be perfect and to have the perfect boyfriend. And once she realized Jesse knows how to dance, she was making the effort to make him the perfect guy. Until she comes in conclusion there is no such thing as being a perfect boyfriend.

What You Always Wanted is an adorable, cute and swoony story. It's a story of a girl finding out that sometimes what you always wanted is not actually what you need. Life is a puzzle and mystery and we are here just to live it and make the best out of it. I liked Jesse and Maddie together. They're a pair that bring each other's best. Maddie learns life is full of mess and "perfection" is overrated. As for Jessie, he learns to follow his heart. This is a story worth learning.

Book Review: Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae

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Wish You Were Italian
If Only #2
Author: Kristin Rae
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: May 6th 2014
Review Source: Bloomsbury | NetGalley

Pippa is in Italy for the summer and, despite her parents’ wishes, she has no intention of just studying the local art! She has a list of things of her own to do: from swimming in the Mediterranean Sea to getting a makeover – and falling for an Italian boy! As Pippa explores the dramatic ruins of Rome and Pompeii, she is swept into her own drama with two guys: an irresistible local she knows is nothing but trouble and a cute American archaeology student . . . Will she find her true love?

The perfect reckless romance to enjoy whether you are home or abroad.

At a Glance:
Mentioned in many of Waiting on Wednesday memes, this book looked promising and fun. And I just couldn’t wait to get an approval from NetGalley.

Cover:
The cover is very and cute, with a background of one of Rome’s most famous attraction site – the Colosseum. If this cover doesn’t catch your attention… just WOW.

Action:
The set is in Italy, may sound like fun but in reality it wasn’t for me. Sure you read about gelato and somewhat get some great description of Italy… but I am not sure, this wasn't it for me. This little adventure was shattered with all the drama, drama, and drama.

Romance:
The romance was not well form for me. Pippa was confused most of the time. She didn’t know exactly what she wanted. Switching from an in Italian to an American, seriously… this had me going crazy. And one of the boys was such an unlikeable character.

Something I loved:
When in Rome… eat a gelato first. Set in Italy, we get some descriptions of some of the most famous landscape of this beautiful and rich country. Since this is one of the countries I did not get to go on my trip to Europe, it was fun reading about it.

Cliffhanger:
No, this is a standalone, thank God for that!

Would I recommend it?:
Honestly, I did not enjoy this book enough. I love to travel, this is pretty much one of my hobbies. I was expecting so much of this book and I couldn’t wait to start. But unfortunately, it didn’t meet my expectations.  I was annoyed for the most parts. I didn’t connect with Pippa, at all. She was somewhat all over the place. Sure she took some chances, but most of them were irrational.

Some of the descriptions of this book were fun to read. I tried picturing the settings and location but I guess I was caught up with all the drama, that I really didn’t enjoy this “escape” to Italy.