What You Always Wanted by Kristin Rae

What You Always Wanted by Kristin Rae
"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 high school baseball team, she's immediately 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 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 Jesse'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?"- summary from Amazon

This was such a cute read with some great emotional depth. I also loved the theater aspect of the book because theater is the best, so it's always great to see a novel that incorporates it. Maddie is a wonderfully flawed main character, and Rae really shows that throughout the book as Maddie tries to let go of the "dream classic Hollywood heartthrob" fantasy she's had in her mind for years. The slow, romantic buildup between Maddie and Jesse was so fun to read and made for an enjoyable installment in Bloomsbury's If Only series.

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Royal Wedding Disaster by Meg Cabot

Royal Wedding Disaster by Meg Cabot
"Olivia Grace Clarisse Mignonette Harrison still finds it hard to believe that she's a real live PRINCESS OF GENOVIA. Not only does she get to live in an actual palace with her newly discovered family and two fabulous poodles (who all love her and think that she's anything but ordinary!) but she also gets her very own PONY!

Of course, things aren't going exactly like she imagined. Her half-sister Mia is very busy learning how to take over the country while trying to plan a wedding and her father is actually getting remarried himself-to Mia's mother!-and spends most of his time "renovating" the summer palace, although Grandmere says he is just hiding from the wedding preparations. Olivia hardly gets to see either of them.

Fortunately, Grandmere has her own plans for Mia's wedding, and needs Olivia's help to pull them off. Just when Olivia starts to think that things are going to work out after all, the palace is invaded by a host of new cousins and other royals who all seem to be angry at Olivia (although Grandmere says they are just jealous).

As the day of the wedding gets closer and closer, Olivia becomes more and more worried. For such a carefully planned event, it seems like a LOT of things are going wrong... Can Olivia keep this royal wedding from becoming a royal disaster?"- summary from Amazon

A fantastic and fun addition to the middle-grade Princess Diaries spinoff series. I love Olivia as a character and seeing her adjust to being a princess like Mia did. It also helps that readers of the Princess Diaries series still get to stay in touch with Mia, Michael, Grandmere and the rest of the gang through Olivia's journey. I really enjoy the drawings that Meg as Olivia does- it just adds a nice layer to the book as a whole and makes it more fun than it already is. Cabot's books are such fun, quick reads and it's a joy to read every new book she puts out.

FTC: Received signed hardcover from author. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Wishing Day by Lauren Myracle

Wishing Day by Lauren Myracle
"On the third night of the third month after a girl’s thirteenth birthday, every girl in the town of Willow Hill makes three wishes.

The first wish is an impossible wish.

The second is a wish she can make come true herself.

And the third is the deepest wish of her secret heart.

Natasha is the oldest child in a family steeped in magic, though she’s not sure she believes in it. She’s full to bursting with wishes, however. She misses her mother, who disappeared nearly eight long years ago. She has a crush on one of the cutest boys in her class, and she thinks maybe it would be nice if her very first kiss came from him. And amid the chaos of a house full of sisters, aunts, and a father lost in grief, she aches to simply be . . . noticed.

So Natasha goes to the willow tree at the top of the hill on her Wishing Day, and she makes three wishes. What unfolds is beyond anything she could have imagined."- summary from Amazon

I absolutely love this book and cannot wait to read the sequels. It had a very similar quality to Wendy Mass' Willow Falls books (and her books in general), in that it deals with a magical realism element. Natasha is a great character that I think a lot of kids will relate to, and it was interesting to see how the wishes came around. Myracle writes in such a lyrical, atmospheric style that makes for a compelling read. Such a great start to a new trilogy from one of my favorite authors!

FTC: Received hardcover from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
"In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose...it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown."- summary from Amazon

This is my first book by Kendare Blake, though I've heard wonderful things about her over the past few years and have always meant to read her books. Three Dark Crowns had a bit of a slow start and I did consider doing a DNF on it, but I told myself to at least read through the first three chapters (and therefore meeting each queen) before putting it down. Eventually, I was pulled into this dark fantasy and Blake's prose and twists kept the pages turning. I loved getting to know all three different queens (and several other secondary characters that were occasionally featured as well) as the novel jumps around from kingdom to kingdom. The concept is so original and the ending had me yearning for the second book in the series.

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
"Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.

Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence. While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter. Not anyone.

As their senior year unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting these three teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever."- summary from Amazon

An absolutely compelling, heartbreaking read. With every book I read by McGinnis, I become more and more of a fan of hers. This book is simply stunning and is an excellent look at what it means to be female (if it means anything at all), the blurry line between right and wrong, and so much more. The book alternates between Alex, Jack and Peekay as their lives intertwine and collide during their senior year; McGinnis does a wonderful job of really making these characters complex, relate-able and understood. One of the best books of 2016 and a novel I highly recommend everyone read.

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.