Review: A Run at Love by Summer Dowell

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Recently, I’ve found myself reading a lot of books by Summer Dowell. They aren’t a heavy commitment and they tend to be fairly straightforward. Unfortunately, a few of them just felt  simply fine and didn’t cater to my needs. That is until A Run at Love. 

A Run at Love is told in the POV of Jessica. She is looking for that special someone, and hasn’t had that much luck. One day she gives in and creates an online dating profile, and sooner than later her luck begins to shift. 

I wasn’t aware of this prior to reading but this novelette is a spin-off of Love From Scratch, another book from the same author. I had not read the book; so I’m unsure of how it is interconnected or if the characters cross over. Or even if the story crosses over. In my mind, this is a strong standalone book on its own. And I would have liked more about Jessica’s journey. She is a go getter and I’m quite interested to read more about her. Especially with how the book ended. I think her story has a lot of potential. 

I was entertained by reading this book. Again, it was a novelette, therefore, it was very short. And fortunately, the author did not waste any time with fluff. And it wasn’t predictable. I thought the book was going to take a different route, but I was wholeheartedly surprised with the route that it did take. It was comedical, relatable. 

Final Thoughts 

A Run at Love is a sweet book about a young woman’s quest to find love. Unfortunately, the book is short and there is so much more that can be explored.

Review: The Clique by Lisi Harrison

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I can’t remember the book that made me fall in love with reading nor can I remember when it happened. However, I can remember that The Clique was a book series that I immediately took to in middle school. As the years went on, I forgot about these books. Until recently, the movie adaptation was posted on Netflix. I excitedly clicked on it, and I had a great time. I was transported back to middle school me, who didn’t have grown up problems. Instead of digging through my endless piles of books to find the paperback, I purchased the first book in the series for kindle. I had a great time.

The Clique is a young adult series that focuses on five girls as they mirage the halls of Octavian Country Day (OCD). Their names are Massie Block, Alicia Rivera, Dylan Marvil, Kristen Gregory, and Claire Lyons. Since The Clique is the first book in the series, it spends time introducing us to the cast of characters. Massie Block is the leader. Everyone follows her command. That is until Claire arrives. After leaving Florida and moving to NY, the Lyons’ family decides to stay with an old family friend- William Block. Immediately upon meeting her, Massie decides that she doesn’t like Claire and for the rest of the book spends her time making Claire’s life miserable. All Claire wants to do is fit in with the group known as The Pretty Committee.  

Like mentioned earlier, I enjoyed myself while reading this book and I’ll probably continue on with the series. I don’t believe I read them all back in middle school. It was a solid story and there was some humor- most of it due to Massie’s witty comments. Trust me, they are stellar. 

And even though I’m older and can’t quite relate to some middle school issues, I think that one thing that never changes is our desire to fit in. And despite how much it will pain some people to admit, we don’t like seeing our friends get new best friends. We sort of feel left out. Those are some things that don’t always go away with age. So yes, there were some parts of this book that felt relatable. 

And it was also interesting to read about the lives of the wealthy. Even if fictional, it is always interesting. Massie Block was the blueprint. She was wealthy. She wore designer clothes. She had power. She had influence. She had everything. Middle school me wanted to be her. And it might be sad, but a part of me now may still want to be her. 

She can be extremely rude, but that wasn’t all she was. Like the rest of the characters, she was a three dimensional character. 

Dylan was struggling with her weight due to having a mother obsessed with being skinny. Kristen is constantly stressed about her grades. Alicia feels uncomfortable with her body at times. Claire is adjusting to a new life and struggling with making new friends. 

And I had forgotten about how badly Massie and friends treated Clarie in the beginning. It was awful. And I felt so sorry for Claire, because she didn’t deserve that treatment, especially since all she wanted to do was fit in. 

Final Thoughts 
The Clique is an entertaining and sometimes heartbreaking story about young girls growing up in the 21th century navigating the waters of middle school as they try to find friends, gain confidence, and fit in.

Review: Love Is an Art: A Hilarious, Clean Romantic Comedy by Summer Dowell

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Love is an Art was fine. It isn’t a groundbreaking book nor is it a terrible book. The pacing was quite slow and the romance didn’t quite stand out. 

The book is centered on Erin and Travis. One morning, Erin accidentally spills paint all over a stranger’s car. But her spirits don’t stay down long, because after being invited to an art class by her best friend, she meets a handsome, easy going guy- Travis, the art instructor. Unbeknownst, to them both, it was Travis’ car that Erin covered in paint and the two began an unpleasant relationship via text message. But in public, the two start a sincere friendship. 

Like mentioned prior, I struggled with the pace of this one. There was a lack of excitement and the humor felt mild. At times, it was hard to continue on with the book because it felt a tad boring. Fortunately, it wasn’t like this the entire time. There were a few moments that oozed with excitement, most of those moments dealt with the possibility of Erin and Travis finding out each other’s true identity. And speaking of that, it is worth mentioning that the possibility of Erin and Travis figuring everyout felt more exciting than them actually finding it out. 

Final Thoughts

Love is an Art is a mild kind of a romantic comedy that fails to deliver the majority of the book. 

Review: A Temporary Engagement by Summer Donnell

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A Temporary Engagement is about Mason and Elena. After running into his ex-girlfriend, Mason makes up a story about how he is engaged and is forced to bring his fake fiance to his ex-girlfriend’s wedding. Unfortunately, he lives in a small town and rumors of his engagement would have been the talk of the town. So he enlists the help of his older brother and sister-in-law to find the perfect fake fiance. Through them, he is introduced to Elena, who is willing to play along with his story. But how much of their chemistry is fake?

This was a cute and safe story. The fake dating/ fake marriage trope will never get old. It is always intriguing to see two characters be thrusted into a relationship for the sake of convenience and deception. Given the circumstances, it is always nice to see how the characters interact and see the moment where the acting stops. Rarely does this trope feel boring or excessive. 

A Temporary Engagement might have felt predictable; however, it was entertaining. With what was provided, the author handled it well. The characters were lively and refreshing. And quite lovely, and they had this natural chemistry. I would admit that I was afraid that this story would venture towards instalove. I’m happy to report that it did not. 

It was obvious that Mason and Elena were going to end up together. And I thought it was the right move to have them end up starting from ground one. Mason made this great point that he wanted to try at a relationship with Elena. These two characters knew each other for a short time and were fake engaged for a short time. It would have been unbelievable for them to be completely head over heels with each other so quickly. 

Review: Write Great Beginnings by Sandra Gerth

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In many things in life, the end is deemed as the most important part. In many instances, we aren’t able to change the beginning. It just is that way. However, when writing a book it is completely different. 

With a book, the beginning is the most important part. It has to hook a reader. If a reader isn’t captivated, they will stop reading and never get to the end. 

Writing is a hobby for me. And since I’m not a professional writer by know means or an expert, I have to do a lot of research and use a lot of references. One of the things I struggle with most is the beginning. I spend hours staring at a blank Word document, unsure about how to begin the story. Eventually, I find myself searching online for instructions on how to start the book. But those list aren’t in-depth. They don’t really dive into everything. 

Write Great Beginnings came up as a suggestion on my Amazon and I immediately purchased it. And I can truthfully say I’m not disappointed. While I was reading, it really started a conversation about how I can incorporate what I’ve learned into my writing. 

It’s fairly easy to follow. And the book isn’t structured in an intimidating way. There are lot of information but it is carefully organized. In addition, the author provides exercises and examples throughout the book. So as you learn the material, you have a chance to relate it to something. The exercises aren’t always about demonstrating what was learned but instead finding multiple books and analyzing those books with the material learned. 

All and all, it is a useful book and I highlighted several sections for future references. A few can be found below: 

Topics Discussed Within Book:

-Debate vs. Refusal 

-Revealing Character Backstory

-Establishing Character Arch 

-Establishing POV

-Establishing Time & Place 

- Introducing Characters 

Review: The Match by Sarah Adams

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The Match was a wholesome romantic comedy about two individuals who fall in love in an unconventional way.

Evie works at Southern Service Paws, a company that helps set up service dogs. After getting an email from Jacob Broaden about matching his ten year old daughter with a service dog, she jumps at the chance. His daughter, Sam, suffers from epilepsy just like her and she felt extra connected to this case. Unfortunately for her, her meeting with Jake and Sam is less than pleasant when it is revealed that Jake was not the one who sent the email. Sam sent the email without her father’s knowledge. Eventually, Evie does help Sam and becomes connected to the family more than she had originally thought she would.

Like mentioned earlier, this was a wholesome read. It was adorable and cute. It’s a quick and easy feel good book. All the same characters were likable. Even though she didn’t have a good relationship with her parents, it was nice to see Evie find her chosen family. Her relationship with Jo, the owner of Southern Service Paws, was amazing. Jo was her mentor but she also acted like a friend, a sister, and a mother. It was always great when they had scenes together, especially when Jo would playfully tease Evie. All and all, it was a great relationship and I’m happy that Evie had Jo in her life.

It was so heartwarming to see Evie jump all in with Sam. Jake is a single dad and Sam rarely sees her mother. So it was sweet that she took such a liking to Evie and how Evie really loved Sam with her whole heart.

It was also great to see the relationship between Evie and Jake develop. Despite their rocking introduction, they were able to overcome that and develop an adorable, adult relationship. Everything worked with them.

One thing that was a little annoying about this book was that during the last act there was miscommunication. I understand the need for drama, but everything was going so well.  Good news is that everything is quickly resolved, and this book does have a happy ending.