I cannot start off a post on Independence Day without saying...
Happy Fourth of July!!!!!!
In honor of this amazing day in the dead of summer, for today's rendition of Maybe you'll like... Monday I will be recommending FOUR (for the FOURTH of July) contemporaries. Who doesn't love a good contemporary while they're lounging by the beach or lying by the pool under the sun? While I recommend each book, you might notice that not all of them have five stars, but I chose to put each of these books on the list for unique reasons. I hope I help you find your next read(: So without further ado...
Maybe you'll like...
1. The Way I Used To Be by Amber Smith
Brief Synopsis: Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn't change who she was. But the night her brother's best friend rapes her, Eden's world capsizes. Follow Eden as she struggles with trust, love, friendship, and dealing with the secret that slowly swallows Eden up.
Unique Features: Told in four parts throughout Eden's high school experience (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior year), extreme character growth, the book handles gut wrenching issues.
Goodreads rating: 4.10/5 Stars
My rating: 4/5 stars
Warning: Chances are, you'll cry. Rape is a very intense topic and this book was very very heavy.
2. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Goodreads Synopsis: Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble; it has been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply- but that seems beside the point now. Maybe that was always beside the point. Two days before they're supposed to visit Neal's family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can't go. She's a TV writer, and something's come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her-- Neal is always a little upset with Georgie-- but she doesn't expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her. When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she's finally done it. If she's ruined everything. That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It's not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she's been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts... Is that what's she's supposed to do? Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?
Unique Features: Has a twinge of fantasy mixed in, the character and relationship development is outstanding. Honestly, this book was put together perfectly and I loved everything about the characters and the plot.
Goodreads rating: 3.55/ 5 Stars
My rating: 5/5 Stars
3. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
Goodreads Synopsis: Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her-- her identity, her spirit, her will to live--pay. Josh Bennett's story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is to be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space. Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won't go away until she's insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she's been hiding-- or if he even wants to.
Unique Features: Honestly, everything about this book is absolutely flawless. The diction is superb, the character and relationship development is perfect, and the whole time you're trying to figure out Nastya's mystery.
Goodreads Rating: 4.37/5 Stars
My rating: 5/5 Stars
Warning: Yet again, this book is very heavy.
Fun fact: I've read this book twice.
4. Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
Brief Synopsis: Alex, now a high school senior, goes through daily life unable to tell reality from delusion. Then, Alex meets Miles, and before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing the life of a teenager. But, how will her mental condition hinder her attempt at being "normal?"
Unique Features: The main character cannot tell what is real and what isn't, therefore, neither do we. It's a crazy ride trying to figure out what is really happening, and what our very unreliable narrator is making up.
Goodreads Rating: 4.11/ 5 Stars
My rating: 4/5 Stars
Brief Synopsis: Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn't change who she was. But the night her brother's best friend rapes her, Eden's world capsizes. Follow Eden as she struggles with trust, love, friendship, and dealing with the secret that slowly swallows Eden up.
Unique Features: Told in four parts throughout Eden's high school experience (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior year), extreme character growth, the book handles gut wrenching issues.
Goodreads rating: 4.10/5 Stars
My rating: 4/5 stars
Warning: Chances are, you'll cry. Rape is a very intense topic and this book was very very heavy.
2. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Goodreads Synopsis: Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble; it has been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply- but that seems beside the point now. Maybe that was always beside the point. Two days before they're supposed to visit Neal's family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can't go. She's a TV writer, and something's come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her-- Neal is always a little upset with Georgie-- but she doesn't expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her. When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she's finally done it. If she's ruined everything. That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It's not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she's been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts... Is that what's she's supposed to do? Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?
Unique Features: Has a twinge of fantasy mixed in, the character and relationship development is outstanding. Honestly, this book was put together perfectly and I loved everything about the characters and the plot.
Goodreads rating: 3.55/ 5 Stars
My rating: 5/5 Stars
3. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
Goodreads Synopsis: Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her-- her identity, her spirit, her will to live--pay. Josh Bennett's story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is to be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space. Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won't go away until she's insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she's been hiding-- or if he even wants to.
Unique Features: Honestly, everything about this book is absolutely flawless. The diction is superb, the character and relationship development is perfect, and the whole time you're trying to figure out Nastya's mystery.
Goodreads Rating: 4.37/5 Stars
My rating: 5/5 Stars
Warning: Yet again, this book is very heavy.
Fun fact: I've read this book twice.
4. Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
Brief Synopsis: Alex, now a high school senior, goes through daily life unable to tell reality from delusion. Then, Alex meets Miles, and before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing the life of a teenager. But, how will her mental condition hinder her attempt at being "normal?"
Unique Features: The main character cannot tell what is real and what isn't, therefore, neither do we. It's a crazy ride trying to figure out what is really happening, and what our very unreliable narrator is making up.
Goodreads Rating: 4.11/ 5 Stars
My rating: 4/5 Stars
I hope you all enjoyed the first Maybe you'll like... Monday! See you tomorrow for Tag Tuesday(: Comment any other contemporaries that you think we'll like!