Heather Buchta

This plot has been done before, but like I've noted in other reviews where a familiar plot is used, it's like a recipe. There can be multiple variations of one and the flavor for each is unique and appeals to different people. This book definitely appealed to me. Granted, Alexa's heedless pursuit of Carson/Cayden is at times over the top, but isn't that sometimes the hallmark of teenageness-that intense urgency because you never quite know when something amazing might go poof?
Her friends are loyal and forgiving, the recording mistakenly played, is soul-crushing and the ending, while teetering on the edge for a while, is very satisfying. Now I think I'll grab the author's previous book and see how I like it.… (mehr)

Hollywood, childhood betrayal and high school valedictorians collide in this teen romance.

Alexa became instant best friends with Carson in middle school but didn't realize her true feelings until the night she betrayed him. Now he's all over the movies as bad boy Cayden McKnight, who dates models and is a jerk to everyone. Alexa's new best friend Lindsey decides that Alexa must make amends, and convinces Alexa to track him down, despite Alexa's long-term but faltering relationship with the reliable John. But Cayden still seems to want nothing to do with her, and Alexa must decide how far she'll go to make things right.

Told partly through flashbacks, the sweetness of the early interactions between Carson and Alexa provide the perfect contrast to how Cayden treats her now. But Alexa - with the encouragement of Lindsey - keeps pushing, trying to find the sweet boy she once knew under the walled-off celebrity demeanor.

Perfectly paced, with reveals in all the right places, this one was a delight until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (mehr)

When Lovette was twelve and felt abandoned by her parents who were totally focused on her injured and comatose brother, she made a deal with God. It was extensive and, she believed, rock solid to the point of immutability. However life is complex and ever changing and people, especially teens, are fallible. This is an extremely well crafted tale of such a fallible teen. It's true to her beliefs, while also being realistic about how emotions and circumstances make such a commitment a giant challenge when family messiness, peer pressure, and first love send their waves crashing over daily life. I liked it a great deal and feel it is deserving of a place in school and public libraries where teens who face complex issues are valued.… (mehr)