Waiting On Wednesday (77): The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine in which bloggers talk about the books they are most eager for!

This Week's Pick: The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Publisher: Dial Books

Release Date: August 18th 2015

A surprising, utterly romantic companion to My Life Next Door—great for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han 

Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To find the liquor cabinet blindfolded, need a liver transplant, and drive his car into a house

Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To . . . well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.

For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard.

Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.

And Alice is caught in the middle.

Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this novel is for readers of The Spectacular Now, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Paper Towns. (Summary from Goodreads)

My Life Next Door was such a wonderful contemporary. It surpassed my very high expectations and I was delighted when I heard there would be a companion novel! The Garrett family is such a wonderful one and, for an only child like me, it was so interesting to read about such a huge family. I cannot wait for this one!

What are you waiting on this week?

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight) 

Top Ten Tuesday (16): Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish in which bloggers post their "Top Ten" of whatever that week's theme is! This week's theme:

LAST TEN BOOKS THAT CAME INTO MY POSSESSION

I used to be so good at book hauls. I wrote them down when I got them and posted bi-weekly (for the most part) on Stacking the Shelves. But yeah, that kind of fell by the wayside. I'm hoping to bring in a monthly round-up but I haven't gotten to that yet. SO! Here are ten books I've gotten recently (although I may have bought/received books in between these):

Bought:

1) The Archived - Victoria Schwab 

- Our next book club pick! I've already read this one and I loved it.

2) Open Road Summer - Emery Lord

- Emery Lord is a wonderful, hilarious human and I can't wait to (FINALLY) read one of her books!

3) P.S. I Still Love You - Jenny Han

- YAY! More Peter K!

Received for Review:

4) These Shallow Graves - Jennifer Donnelly (ARC)

- I'm super extra grateful for this one. I had a ticket for the signing at BEA but I was so sick I couldn't attend. My dear friend Jackie sent me one to make up for it. THANKS LOVELY!

5) Finding Audrey - Sophie Kinsella

- One of my favourite reads of the year, I'm so happy to have a finished copy!

6) The Girl at Midnight - Melissa Gray

- I'm really intrigued by this one and love myself a pretty hardcover!

 

7) Damage Done - Amanda Panitch (ARC)

- I hear it is the "YA Gone Girl" so that's mighty promising.

 

8) Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon (ARC)

- I've read nothing but incredible things about this book and the cover is beautiful.

9) Don't Fail Me Now - Una LaMarche (ARC)

- I've been meaning to read an Una LaMarche book for ages!

(P.S. Jackie, if you are reading this, you are lovely and wonderful and thank you for all the awesomeness. *SQUISHY HUGS*)

Borrowed:

10) Bone Gap - Laura Ruby

- I hear this one is really feminist and great so yes. (Thanks, Meaghan!)

That's all for now! What books have you gotten recently?

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight)

Review: The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi

Title: The Night We Said Yes

Author: Lauren Gibaldi

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: June 16th, 2015

Source: ARC Received from Publisher in Exchange for an Honest Review

My Rating: 4/5

A fun, romantic read, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti!

Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over a no-good ex-boyfriend. Graduate from high school without any more distractions. Move away from Orlando, Florida, where she’s lived her entire life.

But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player who just moved to town—was never part of that plan.

And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.

Then Matt abruptly left town, and he broke not only Ella’s heart but those of their best friends, too. So when he shows up a year later with a plan of his own—to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn’t sure whether Matt’s worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future.

In alternating then and now chapters, debut author Lauren Gibaldi crafts a charming, romantic story of first loves, lifelong friendships, uncovered secrets, and, ultimately, finding out how to be brave. (Summary from Goodreads)

I knew as soon as I read the synopsis for this book that it was one I was going to really like. It's all about friendship and second chances and hometowns and summer, which are some of my favourite things to read about. The Night We Said Yes was a touching novel that had me recalling some of those incredible summer days.

I got committed to this book very quickly. I sat out in the sunshine (got a sunburn) and read all afternoon. The story captivated me, and the characters were stellar. Ella was a wonderful protagonist that I could totally relate to, and her best friend Meg was caring and lovable. Jake frustrated me sometimes, but he had a good heart. Matt was the kind of guy I would've crushed on in high school, and he sure won my heart in this book. I shipped Ella and Matt pretty dang quickly, even though I wasn't sure what happened between them. They just had such chemistry, it was great to read about.   

The time-hopping set up of this novel worked really well. I feel like each chapter complimented the next and kept the story moving forward. In many books with this format, I find myself committed to one timeline over the other, but that was not the case with The Night We Said Yes. I loved getting both stories and seeing what things had changed and all the things that had stayed the same. There was only one moment in the book (which I talk about later) that was off for me, but the rest worked seamlessly. 

Reading this book was really nostalgic for me. It felt like going back to the end of high school and how hopeful and scary and joyous it was. This book captured that feeling so well. On a personal level, this book reminded me so much of my friends and some of the ridiculous things we did: going to see our friends play a gig, yelling in cars about boys, going on adventures through the town we knew so well, and feeling like we were on the cusp of something new and exciting. Although I've moved on from that (and sadly, from many of those friends) reading The Night We Said Yes reminded me of all those happy times and how incredible it can feel. I got a little teary at the end because it was a bit like moving on all over again.

Matt's explanation about why he left didn't sit well with me, for some reason. Maybe it was because it was unexpected, but something about it just kind of didn't work for me. It took me out of the story for a few pages, but I quickly found myself drawn back in. Because this story, for me at least, wasn't about why Matt left but about these friends and their story and how scary and amazing it can be to take a chance.  

After I finished The Night We Said Yes, I immediately went out and pre-ordered Matt's Story, the upcoming companion e-novella. I just wasn't ready to let go of these characters. I'm still not. I'm writing this review (well, the end of it) weeks after I finished the book and I'm STILL feel nostalgic about the whole thing. I can't wait to go back and read this one all over again.

Overall, The Night We Said Yes was a heart-warming, nostalgic, and just plain great debut. I am so excited to see what other awesome books Lauren Gibaldi has in store for us.

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight)

Find This Book: Amazon | Chapters/Indigo | Goodreads | Lauren Gibaldi's Website