BOOK REVIEW: A Girl Like Me by Ginger Scott

Title: A Girl Like Me

Author: Ginger Scott

Series: Like Us Series, #2

N O T   A   S T A N D A L O N E

I’m not supposed to be here.

Death has come for me more than once, and each time it’s been a boy who’s stood between me and my final breath.

I called him Christopher when he saved me as a child. When he came into my life again, only months ago, I knew him as Wes. Just as he did the time before, he disappeared the moment he made sure I was out of harm’s way; as if I didn’t need any more saving.

This time, though, death left me with a reminder of how powerful it is. I know it meant to strip me of my spirit again, but it failed.

Even so, I know I need Wes to survive. Our souls are woven together somehow, our every breath in sync. I feel it, even though everyone says I shouldn’t.

The world thinks he’s missing.

His loved ones don’t want to believe he’s dead.

Only I know just how special he is.

I’m going to find him and bring him home, where he belongs. Together, we’ll face impossible—we’ll rewrite our ending.

And when the bad guys come calling, we will always win. 

*An early copy of the book was graciously given by the author* 

There has never been a Ginger Scott book that disappointed me. Every book she writes just slays and I can’t help but be obsessed with them. A Girl Like Me contained a unique pull, a palpable plot that will leave every reader either breathless from the suspense, or panting for more.

He’s breaking me just by being, and it isn’t fair.

It’s not everyday that a reader like me encounter characters like Wes and Jos. There’s a unique streak in them that just woke up a whole new kind of curiosity in me and surprised me with emotions that aren’t always inherent in a love story. A love story. Is it, really? I guess it is because of the unconditional love the characters had for each other. But in true Ginger Scott fashion, romance worked like a secondary tone in this story. And yet it went through my heart like a bullet filled with lessons and love.

“I don’t need a hero, Wes,” I say again, pressing our foreheads tight again, my thumbs both drawing soft lines along his jaw. “I just need you.”

The depth, the plot, the twists, the characters, the suspense…all I know is I almost forgot to breathe while reading this book. I loved how unpredictable the plot was, how I didn’t know what will happen, how I wanted to read faster but wanted to absorb every word. Joselyn’s strength was such as beautiful streak in this book. She took badass to a different level. And Wes...this unique, out-of-this-world, compassionate, and hero of a man, was a mystery I loved seeing unraveled. Even the whole gang, the secondary characters, added to the depth and impact of this book. I just loved every bit of their moments.

Maybe that’s the moral of our story—we suffer and overcome, then risk again.

A Girl Like Me is the kind of book that stays in your head even after you’ve read it. It’s the kind that will chase your thoughts and provoke your mind to think. For me, it was an experience. An experience filled with pain and mistakes with their corresponding lessons. A compelling read that I’d want to read over and over. Another top read for me!

ARC REVIEW: A Boy Like You by Ginger Scott

Title: A Boy Like You

Author: Ginger Scott

Series: Like You Series #1

Release Date: March 3rd, 2017

They say everyone’s a superhero to someone. I’m not sure who I’m supposed to save, but I know who saved me. 

We were kids. His name was Christopher. And up until the day he pulled me from death’s grip, he was nothing more than a boy I felt sorry for. In a blink of an eye, he became the only person who made me feel safe.

And then he disappeared. 

Now I’m seventeen. I’m not a kid anymore. I haven’t been for years. While death didn’t take me that day, the things that happened left me with scars—the kind that robbed me of everything I once loved and drove me into darkness. But more than anything else, that day—and every day since—has taken away my desire to dream. 

I wasn’t going to have hope. I wouldn’t let myself wish. Those things—they weren’t for girls like me. That’s what I believed…until the new boy. 

He’s nothing like the old boy. He’s taller and older. His hair is longer, and his body is lean—strong and ready for anything. I don’t feel sorry for him. And sometimes, I hate him. He challenges me. From the moment I first saw him standing there on the baseball field, he pushed me—his eyes constantly questioning, doubting…daring. Still, something about him—it feels…familiar. 

He says his name is Wes. But I can’t help but feel like he’s someone else. Someone from my past. Someone who’s come back to save me.

This time, though, he’s too late. Josselyn Winters, the girl he once knew, is gone. I am the threat; I am my worst enemy. And he can’t save me from myself.

That was the last time I ever felt safe, and it was the day I almost died.

Ginger Scott’s books are an altogether separate genre for me. I’m obsessed with how she captures depths. Her words seep right into a readers skin and you just become the character. A Boy Like You is no different; quite possibly more intense. With a group of interesting and poignant characters, it’s hard not to drown in this book. 

I’m my own mess, and something about Wes makes me feel better.

Since that unfaithful day of Josselyn Winters’s life, she always had to wake up with a renewed strength to face the repetitive routine of fuck-ups that is her life. There were an equal amount of strength and cracks in Jos’ character and I loved both sides. She would self-destruct and then rebuild herself. She was real and different and it was an experience to see life in her eyes. 

“I love how you look at me. I love how you see me, Joss. I love that you think I’m invincible.”

It was at an early age when Wes learned how to fight through life unscathed. He was both blessed and cursed but he was strengthened by that contradiction. I LOVED how Wes’ character played with my head. This man (because even with his age, he was already a man) was a seat of fight and determination. He had calculated but equally unexpected actions; and oh, how I crave for what he’s planning next. 

We’re two kids who found each other when each needed someone to believe in them the most.

The brilliance of Ginger Scott’s writing isn’t in the magical way of hyping up a reader’s fantasy. It’s how she rouses depth in the mundane. In A Boy Like You, the romance was more secondary but oh, how I fell and felt. She drove this story with a palpable tone that kept me up my toes and my heartbeat trippling with every chapter. Every word was sure and deliberate, her message clear and on-point. But most of all, what I loved about this book was the characters. Each of them brought a pulse in the story that will surely relate to a lot of readers. 

This is definitely one of my top reads this year (the sequel might make it my TOP read!)

ARC REVIEW: The Hard Count by Ginger Scott

Title: The Hard Count

Author: Ginger Scott

Release Date: July 15, 2016

Blurb

Nico Medina’s world is eleven miles away from mine. During the day, it’s a place where doors are open—where homes are lived in, and neighbors love. But when the sun sets, it becomes a place where young boys are afraid, where eyes watch from idling cars that hide in the shadows and wicked smoke flows from pipes. 

West End is the kind of place that people survive. It buries them—one at a time, one way or another. And when Nico was a little boy, his mom always told him to run.

I’m Reagan Prescott—coach’s daughter, sister to the prodigal son, daughter in the perfect family. 

Life on top. 

Lies.

My world is the ugly one. Private school politics and one of the best high school football programs in the country can break even the toughest souls. Our darkness plays out in whispers and rumors, and money and status trump all. I would know—I’ve watched it kill my family slowly, strangling us for years. 

In our twisted world, a boy from West End is the only shining light.

Quarterback. 

Hero.

Heart.

Good.

I hated him before I needed him.

I fell for him fast.

I loved him when it was almost too late. 

When two ugly worlds collide, even the strongest fall. But my world…it hasn’t met the boy from West End.

My Review

5/5 stars

Ginger Scott have ripped my heart out and put it back in before. She’s fed it with youthful feels and made me swoon twenty times a minute. She’s cracked my emotions in every way possible. But in The Hard Count , she’s unleashed a whole bunch of emotions and insights that are rarely palpable in a romance novel-- honor, equality, and the will to succeed. 

Nico is a wild stallion full of promise and gifts, and I’m not sure if he can be tamed. I’m not sure if he should.

Nico Medina came from the bad side of town. He’s used to the stares, the stereotype that comes with where he lives, how he lives. But he was not used to the attention and the confidence of that one girl who pushed all of his buttons. Nico Medina could be any of us. He was a man with a gift but was shadowed by judgment and one-sided expectations. But inside Nico was a passion so driven that it could initiate change. I loved how his character was fixed; how his imperfections became his drive and how beautiful he was when he basked in his own light. 

"Reagan Marie Prescott, I’m so goddamned in love with you that I don’t even care about being right anymore.”

Reagan Prescott lived behind the shadows of her father and twin brother. Being a member of a family who’s spotlighted a lot, Reagan reveled on the times when she was just an observer, a woman behind the lens of her camera. Reagan was such an important part of this book. She was the driving force and a beautiful light in the characters’ life. There was so much love and in faith in her; something that could drive any man to believe in anything. 

“I’m willing to go the distance,” he repeats. “No matter how far that is.”

As a romance reader, I seek for full-blown romantic feels radiating on every page. But with The Hard Count , the romance was almost secondary but was never taken lightly. There was a palpable feeling between Nico and Reagan, drawing them together even when they were in two different situations. Miss Ginger did a wonderful job in settling the intensity of their feelings that enabled me to take other contexts at heart. I, a self-confessed sports imbecile, found the rush of every game addicting. I cheered, I hoorah!ed, and felt the pang of pain the players felt in between plays and practices. The rush was jumping out of every page and I can’t help but join in! But above all of the commotion, there was a timely message embedded in this book. When we’re stripped off of the stereotypes, we are very alike in more ways any of us will ever care admit. And when we accept differences, we could be so much stronger together. I loved this book so soooo much!

BOOK REVIEW: Questionable Love by Danielle Rocco

Title: Questionable Love

Author: Danielle Rocco

Series: Labeled Love #2

Release Date: June 1, 2016

BLURB

Questionable Love starts off right where Labeled Love ended

While my boy’s world stopped,
My girl’s kept going.

Promises would be made,
And some would be broken.

There was only one question that he ever needed answered.
There was only one answer that she ever needed to say.

I’ve clung to his question.
I’ve clung to her answer.

He’ll have to prove himself.
She’ll have to let me.

When you have a love as deep as ours, you fight to keep it together. 
We will have to fight for those three words if we want our love to be unending.

Mature Language, Sexual Content 

MY REVIEW

4/5 heart-shaped love!

Danielle Rocco magnificently captures the tingly, dreamy feelings of falling in love. And seriously, with the way this woman swept me up in heart-shaped clouds with Labeled Love, I really didn’t know she could take me higher. Questionable Love was, with no question, a powerhouse of swoon, sexy cuteness, and a sparkle of drama. 

“I’m always going to be your boy, and you are always going to be my sun-kissed baby under the California sun.”

Jace James loved fiercely and it was the same reason why he’s serving time in jail. But it will also be the very same reason that he will get through it. I really, really loved the loyalty and integrity of this man. Even when he was helpless, he sought light and love in his memories of Shay. He was so sweet, thoughtful, and equally sexy. 

“...my life was always going to be with her from the moment I met her.”

Shay Stark lived in a dark place after her boy was put into jail. She was helpless and sad, but she never gave up hope. Instead, she poured her heart out on the one thing they dreamed of sharing--music. Sassy Shay was a sight to behold but when in love and driven by hope, she is magic. I loved the passion in this woman. She genuinely invests her heart in everything she does. 

“I’ve made some mistakes, but the one thing I’ve always done with everything I am is love you with my entire heart.”

There were times when I thought this book was predictable but Miss Danielle proved me wrong every time. In the bits of moment I thought she will make doubt prevail, she made love overpower everything. Although I would say that this book was generally light, there were little sparks of heartbreak and tears in between that kept the story interesting. This book is definitely oozing with a lot of heart-shaped love. Entertaining, swoony, and addictive. 

ARC REVIEW: In Your Dreams by Ginger Scott

Title: In Your Dreams

Author: Ginger Scott

Series: Falling #4

Release Date: March 29, 2016

BLURB:

Casey Coffield has a growing list of personal flaws he keeps locked away in his head:

He’s never on time.

His list of IOUs to his best friend is endless.

Money is always short.

Goals are never in reach.

Oh, and he’s decided to add college drop-out to that list, too. He doesn’t really think that last one’s such a bad thing, but his family insists it is, so it stays on the list.

On paper, he’s a zero. But in person, when he’s mixing tracks for a sea of bodies at the hottest clubs and parties, he’s downright irresistible. Just-right stubble on his chin, body of a boxer and a smirk that stimulates all the right nerves—women have never been a problem. They flock to his swagger and fall for his charm…fast.

All except for this one.

Purple hair, gray eyes, a raspy voice and sass, Murphy Sullivan is a little bit country and a little bit rock-n-roll. And her and Casey? They have history. He can’t remember it, but she wrote a song about him—and it’s not exactly a love song. But it is good. Damn good. And uncovering her inspiration just might be the key to solving a few of his shortcomings—not to mention open doors to his own big break in the music industry.

But sometimes dreams get messy when they collide. Sometimes life changes patterns. A past paints the wrong picture and futures get cloudy. The only question that remains is who will you choose when the dust settles—you? Or the girl of your dreams?

MY REVIEW:

4/5 STARS

Ginger Scott is probably one of my favourite voices in the Young Adult genre. She proves it again with the captivating, passionate, and entertaining feels in In Your Dreams . I have to side with Murphy, Casey Coffield is really quite hard to forget. 

She’s an enigma. She’s beautiful. If my music had a physical form, I think it might just be her.

Murphy Sullivan just wanted to share her music, the only passion she can lose herself into. But when one of her particular song reached the man her song was named after, she’s set to find out that she might be passionate into something—someone—other than her music. Murphy was a refreshing character. She was soulful, funny, and down-to-earth. She possessed a fiery kind of passion within her shy exterior and I loved the little moments of uncovering it. 

I wasn’t less Casey—I was this Casey, the better man she makes me.

Casey Coffield knew he had a fair share of girls in his life. But he didn’t quite know who he pissed enough to make him sound like a pompous ass—literally…with music and lyrics. I loved Casey the moment I read about him on the third book. On the outside, he was funny, naughty, and happy-go-lucky. But knowing his tender spots in this book clasped my heart. His passion was intense, his sincerity uplifts, and he loved with the kind of love so rare. There was definitely more of a man in Casey Coffield than the boy everyone else sees. 

My dreams, however, and Casey Coffield, seem to have collided.

I really loved the easy, soulful aura of this book. It was fun but affective at the same time. Ginger Scott transported me into how a young heart should feel—passionate, honest, and selfless. Her writing prowess is like a ballad with beautiful lyrics and a soothing tune a reader can never tire of re-reading. In Your Dreams has the right amount of drama, fun, and romance with passionate characters and witty dialogues.