Review: By Your Side by Kasie West

Title: By Your Side
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release date: January 31st 2017
Source: Edelweiss
Format: eARC

Rating: 4/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her. Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.

Only he doesn’t come. No one does.

Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye. As he and Autumn first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax’s side?

This is the fifth book written by Kasie West that I´ve read and although it isn´t one of my favorites, I did enjoyed it a lot.

At the beginning of the story Autumn is locked inside a library after she was with a large group of friends and by mistake she leaves her bag with her cell phone in the trunk of one of the cars, so she doesn´t have means to communicate and for reasons explained in the book, her parents do not expect her to return home that night, so it is credible to some extent that she is locked in a public library for several days, but I´m not very sure why there aren´t telephones accessible in the areas to which she has access, but as it´s a fiction book so I pretend that everything is possible. And locked up with her is Dax, a schoolmate who has a reputation for being dangerous because he spent a few months in a juvenile reformatory, so at the beginning of their lockup they come to an arrangement to coexist until the library is open, but through their time together they get to know each other a little and Dex discovers Autumn´s, a secret that only her family knows, which is what makes them to a certain extent partners in crime, because Dax knows something about her that no one else knows.

The book is not only the story of them locked up at the library, but it also is about them returning to their normal life and how they interact at school, with her friends and the drama of the love triangle. I liked the interaction between Autumn and Dax, since it isn´t insta-love since they know each other from school, only that they had never interacted before and how after the library and the secrets they shared, how they start to have a connection that turns to attraction.

I do recommend it to those who like cute YA books with some light drama.

Review: On the Fence by Kasie West

Title: On the Fence
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release date: July 1st 2014
Source: Edelweiss
Format: eARC

Rating: 4.5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door…

Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she's got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she's falling for Braden. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

Fun, original, and endearing, On the Fence is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect.

On the Fence is an excellent summer read, it´s a light, funny, with likable characters and a cute romance.

The story is told from the point of view of Charlie, a 16-year-old, that has three older brothers or four, if you count Braden her next door neighbor; the five have been inseparable forever, playing all kinds of sports together, watching sports on television together, daring each other constantly and having a dynamic of friends / brothers that´s great and I liked to see the interaction of Charlie and her brothers, they treat her like one more of the guys. Something I really liked of this book is that there isn´t an absent parent as commonly happens in YA books, we see her father more than once; but only the father appears as the mother died when she was young, something that Charlie thinks now at 16 years old somehow influenced her to be a tomboy, because she doesn´t dress fashionably, and her clothing is comfortable and baggy.

And this summer she was fined (again) for driving at excessive speed, so her father decided that enough was enough and that Charlie must to pay her own  fines from now, that´s why she must find a job to pay the fine and she found it where she least expect it, in a boutique where she should dress different than the usual and there she makes new friends. And for different reasons Charlie begins to wake up at night and ends up having nightly talks with Braden, her next door neighbor and best friend through the fence, and those talks are different and a little bit personal that begin to confuse her a little in regarding of her feelings towards Braden.

Overall, I loved On the Fence! it was a fun and romantic read, just what I needed to read at that time. It ´s a book that I recommend to fans of light romantic contemporary novels.

Waiting On Wednesday (102): Don't Look Back & Split Second

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The book I´m waiting this week is

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

Release date: April 15th 2014

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

Why I'm Waiting?

Because Jennifer is on my auto-buy list, I love her YA books.

Split Second (Pivot Point #2) by Kasie West

Release date:  February 11th 2014

Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too . . . but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.

Why I'm Waiting?

I LOVED Pivot Point!, I just love the idea of paranormals living in a secret compound and the differences between the normal world and the paranormal world. And I can´t wait to read more about Trevor.

What book are you waiting this week?

Leave your WOW links

Don´t forget to enter my current giveaway:

2nd Year Blogoversary Giveaway (INTL) - HERE.

Waiting on Wednesday (65): The Distance Between Us

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The book I´m waiting this week is

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Release date: July 2nd 2013 

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Which book are you waiting this week?
Leave your WOW links.

Don´t forget to enter my current giveaway:
February New Release Giveaway - (INTL) HERE.

Pivot Point by Kasie West

Title: Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1)
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release date: February 12th 2013
Source: Edelweiss
Format: egalley

Rating: 5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Pivot Point is an extraordinary book, is perfect, it exceeded all my expectations, I read this book for the first time late last year and is on my list of favorite books I´ve read in 2012. In fact I liked it so much that I read it again once more this year and a third time only my favorite parts, just to give you an idea of ​​how much I loved it, since I rarely read a book more than once.

This book's main character Addie Coleman is a girl living in a paranormal compound, her best friend can erase the memory, her mother can influence people and her father can detect lies and Addie has the "power" to see only her future when she must make a decision and thus to choose the best future. So when her parents surprise her with the news of their divorce, they ask to look in the future and choose which parent she wants to live with: her mother which she doesn´t get along but she can stay in the complex and be with her best friend or go to live with her father with whom she does gets along very well but she would have to leave the compound and moving to the "normal" world. And that is why Addie seeks her power her two possible futures: her future in the paranormal compound, where stays with her mother, her best friend and she begins to date Duke, the most wanted guy from high school, and her future in the "normal" world, where she lives with her father, she goes to a "normal" high school and meets Trevor (♥), a boy who befriends her and helps her to adjust to the normal world.

The book is told from Addie´s POV with alternate chapters for her two possible futures: her "paranormal" future and "normal" future, so once I got to that point I couldn´t stop reading because each chapter left me intrigued and wanting to know more, the book is fast-paced, the plot is very original, with great and likeable main characters, especially Addie she has really funny moments and of course I loved Trevor (♥). I also loved how the two possible futures intersect at some point in the story and Addie is in the same place but in a different situation.

This book is a bit complicated to explain, without giving to much spoilers but I highly recommended it. Pivot Point is definitely a must read! it has a very original story (although it reminded me a bit of the movie Sliding Doors), is funny, with a bit of mystery and of course romance and although there are two boys in the story there is no love triangle. I'm dying to read the next book in the series.

I want to thank HarperTeen and edelweiss for this review copy.