I loved being able to read these familiar stories. While reading each story, I could picture Pastor Mark telling them at the Christmas Eve services.

This was my second time reading this book. The first time I read this book, I gave it 5 stars. This year I’m trying to write more critical reviews, so that is why I’m lowering my rating to 4 stars.

CW: divorce, underage drinking, abandonment, sex, some crude language, drunkenness, bullying, fighting, & blood.

I liked both Jenny and Chance as main characters. They had a great friendship with lots of witty banter. I thought that they were both really imaginative considering how easily they could constantly come up with fake friendship stories.

The plot was okay but had a lot of predictable and cliche moments such as the conflict. The dialogue and some of the characters actions often felt fake.

I did enjoy the dual POVs. It’s always nice for me to be able to read both sides in a relationship.

There were a few pop culture references that felt a bit dated considering that this book was published in 2017. Luckily, I understood them, but I could see them throwing some people off.

I didn’t agree with the stance on alcohol in this book (especially considering that the characters were underage). The characters talked about the repercussions of smoking but didn’t see anything wrong with drinking excessively.

Overall, this story has a cute romance and characters that deal with some pretty tough issues such as family abandonment and bullying.

I plan to read this book again in the future and would recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook ARC of this book.

4.5 out of 5 stars

This was an overall fun book with a lot of interesting elements.

The fact that this story was set around a STEM school and a STEM competition was pretty cool and unique.

My favorite character was Caleb, and I enjoyed the moments with him and Evie because they had such a great relationship. They had so many heartwarming moments together, and I liked that they knew each other so well.

Also, even when Evie was really oblivious, she was still pretty endearing. Although, I did feel bad for Caleb a lot because Evie just didn't notice how she affected him.

Besides Caleb and Evie, none of the other characters were that likable or memorable. Leo was kind of meh because of how he was with Evie before he got to know her very well. I couldn't stand Evie's mom at all, and the things she said and did to her were awful.

I enjoyed that this story featured both Caleb and Evie's POVs because it made the story more interesting.

My biggest problem with this book was that it contained a lot of anti-Christian comments. I felt that these remarks were unnecessary to the story, and it made me dislike the characters.

As far as the audiobook format, I thought it worked well for this story. I enjoyed listening to Nick Mondelli and Elizabeth Cottle narrate.

Overall, I think this is a fun and unique young adult novel.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Jennifer E. Smith books are hit or miss for me, but I really enjoyed this one.

The prologue of this book was really good and made me want to continue reading. I was excited to learn about Graham's pet pig, but then he wasn't in the rest of the story.

I thought that Graham and Ellie were cute, and I enjoyed their emails to each other. Also, the fact that this book included the email formatting made it more enjoyable to read as a physical book.

I also liked the coastal setting for this story.

Some parts of the plot seemed like they were going to be cliché, but then the issues were resolved quickly. I know this bothers some people, but I actually enjoyed this about the story.

The whole side plot with Ellie's dad was just okay. I didn't think it was really wrapped up that well or helped the story along.

I don't always enjoy open endings, but I thought it worked well for this story.

One big reason that I enjoyed this story was because it featured a secret celebrity, and I typically like stories with this trope.

Overall, this is a fun and cute story with a nice setting.

This is the first book I've read by Emma Mills, but I'm definitely interested in reading more by this author.

I enjoyed that this book was both hopeful and funny.

One of the big reasons that I enjoyed this book was because of the great characters.

Devon was a nice protagonist because she was average. I feel like a lot of people would be able to relate to her. Even though I haven't read any Jane Austen novels yet, I still enjoyed the references that Devon kept making.

At first, Foster seemed kind of annoying, but then he became endearing. His friendship with Ezra was really nice. I also thought the adoption aspect of the book was a nice addition.

Ezra wasn't a typical high school football star that I normally read about in YA books, and I liked that about him. He was so awkward that it made him adorable. His interactions with Devon were fun to read as well.

Overall, I would recommend this book, and I'm excited to read more books by Emma Mills.

THIS BOOK!!

Honestly, I can already see this book making my top 10 books of the year, and it's only January.

While I enjoyed Caraval and loved Legendary, this book surpassed both of those books for me.

I loved everything about this story. It was so action-packed and unpredictable. One thing that definitely added to this for me was that I listened to the audiobook version of it, and it was so dramatic. Rebecca Soler was the narrator, and she did an unbelievable job voicing all the different characters.

The romances were swoony and adorable. Scarlett and Julian were so cute in this book, and Tella and Legend were passionate and heartbreaking at times. There were so many memorable moments between the couples.

The whole book was full of tension and had me on the edge of my seat. I never knew what was going to happen next, and I couldn't even predict the ending.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book, especially the audiobook!