✯REVIEW:✯ The Replacement Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts

The Replacement Crush
by Lisa Brown Roberts
Release Date: September 6th 2016 by Entangled: Teen
Pages: 400
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult
Author's Links: Goodreads, Website, Twitter, Facebook
View/Purchase: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N

True love can’t be strategized.

After book blogger Vivian Galdi’s longtime crush pretends their secret summer kissing sessions never happened, Vivian creates a list of safe crushes, determined to protect her heart.

But nerd-hot Dallas, the sweet new guy in town, sends the mission and Vivian’s zing meter into chaos. While designing software for the bookstore where Vivian works, Dallas wages a counter-mission.

Operation Replacement Crush is in full effect. And Dallas is determined to take her heart off the shelf.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

My Review:

Having read previous books by the author before, I was really excited to read The Replacement Crush, the cover and the synopsis had me all over the book!

It's a start of a new year, in this case it's senior year for Vivian Galdi and her friends, and after having the summer of a lifetime she is excited to go back to school. Yet after spending the summer having kissing sessions with her longtime crush, she is surprised to find that her “crush” has decided to ignore their summer together for a new girl altogether. This completely destroys Vivian and that is enough to get her to plan The Replacement Crush in which she would focus on guys who she has little interest in, in order for her to not get her feeling hurt again. Little did she know that her plan was going to change her life forever. This all happens after a new guy in town shows up at her school, and when her mom decides to hire him to work at her bookstore. As the two start to spend time together, Vivian starts to realize that her plan might just be working too well, and if she wants an relationship she will have to change the course of the replacement crush before it's too late.

I really enjoyed reading the book, from the characters to the plot, Roberts did an amazing job creating a realistic story line that's very reminiscing of a typical teenager. Vivian is smart, outgoing, and seems to know what she wants. Her mom's love for books has made an impact on Vivian's life as she is also into books and has a book blog as well. Between going to school and doing all your typical extracurricular activities, she also has a job at her mom's bookstore. It is in that type of environment that she is surrounded by so many stories (romance stories) that have made her a hopeless romantic, so when her crush finally notices her she ignores all the warning signs of the playboy that is her crush and goes against her mom's back to hide her “relationship.” Surrounded by her group of friends who all have very distinct personalities, Vivian has their support, but do not necessarily agree with her going out with the school's playboy. With that said, when she meets Dallas, there is chemistry between them that is undeniable and even Vivian knows that. But sticking to her plan is what she wants to do, and not even the nerdy/hottie Dallas can change her mind.

On the contrary, Dallas is cute, funny, smart and can also play the cello. Definitely the guy who is too good to be true! However, he seems to be mysterious as well which made them that much more intriguing. I loved the way they both seem to be in-tune with each other, they has inside jokes and flirted with each other. Their relationship is very obvious, but it takes Vivian a while to realize just how much her plan was working against her from the very beginning. Anyway, there is a sensitive scene towards the end of the story that might turn readers off a bit, but it's part of the story and it all works out in the end. The ending is so cute, it will literally leave you wanting for more! I would highly suggest reading this book and any other book by the author, you will not regret it. :)

***ARC provided by Entangled Teen in exchange for an honest review.***

My Rating:

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REVIEW: Playing the Player by Lisa Brown Roberts

Playing the Player 
by Lisa Brown Roberts
Release Date: September 14th 2015 by Entangled: Crush
Pages: 400
Genres: Romance, Young Adult
Author's Links: Goodreads, Website, Twitter, Facebook
View/Purchase: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N

The Good Girl Vs. The Player

Round one begins...

Trina Clemons needed the money. Why else would she - the most organized, prepared student in school - spend the summer as a nanny and partner with the biggest slacker ever? Now she's ready to tackle nannyhood with her big binder of research and schedules. Just don't ask her about the secret job of "fixing" the bad habits of a certain high school player...

Slade Edmunds prefers easy hook-ups, and Trina is definitely not his type. She's all structure and rules, while Slade wants to just have fun. Fortunately, Trina has no idea about the bet Slade made with his best friend that he can totally get her to unwind by the end of summer...

Then the weirdest thing happens. There's chemistry. A lot of it.

But nothing gets between a boy and a girl like a big, fat secret...
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

My Review:

I completely loved reading Playing the Player, the author did a great job bring something new to the book that just made it enjoyable to read. It was a total page-turner for me and that says a lot about the book. From the great cover to the intriguing synopsis, Lisa Brown Roberts brings a whole new twist to your typical good girl vs player type-of-story. 

In the beginning we meet Trina Clemons, an organizational girl by nature, who also takes her job as a nanny very seriously. Needless to say, she has a binder full of ideas and schedules to drive one crazy, and even though everyone gives her second looks after meeting her, she is very good at her job. It is because of this that she is given a top secret task by the moms of the kids that she takes care of. She is to train, Slade Edmunds, and keep him from getting in trouble, and she is going to get a raise. That pretty much seals the deal for her, especially when she needs the money to get a new computer and to help her mom. But the minute she is faced with two toddlers and Slade things start to get very real for her, and she is going to have to decide whether putting herself in that situation is worth it after all.

For Slade Edmunds, his looks and popularity are very important to him. But when his mom tells him that she got him a job as a nanny, he is not very happy at all. Yet he accepts the challenge and is willing to do anything to prove to his parents that he can do whatever comes on his way. Soon he meets Trina and although their relationship is a bit rocky at the beginning, it slowly turns into something else. It all seems to be working out, but the secret that Trina and his mom have kept from him have hurt him the most, and that is when he will have to decide what to do next.

I absolutely loved the overall idea of this book, and how the author executes every scene. The characters have their own issues that they need to resolve, but when the two are together, they work very well together. Overall, I highly recommend it. :)

***ARC provided by Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review.***

My Rating: 

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ARC Review: How (Not) to Fall in Love by Lisa Brown Roberts

How (Not) to Fall in Love 
by Lisa Brown Roberts
Released Date: February 3rd 2015 by Entangled: Teen
Pages: 352
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
View/Purchase: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N
Author's Links: Goodreads, Website, Twitter, Facebook

Seventeen-year-old Darcy Covington never had to worry about money or where her next shopping spree was coming from. Even her dog ate gourmet. Then one day, Darcy’s car is repossessed from the parking lot of her elite private school. As her father’s business hit the skids, Dad didn't just skip town, he bailed on his family.

Fortunately, Darcy’s uncle owns a thrift shop where she can hide out from the world. There’s also Lucas, the wickedly hot fix-it guy she can’t stop crushing on, even if she’s not sure they’ll ever get out of the friend zone. 

But it’s here among the colorful characters of her uncle’s world that Darcy begins to see something more in herself...if she has the courage to follow it.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

My Review:

How (Not) to Fall in Love is a coming-of-age story of a girl that found her true self in the least likely of places. 

Darcy Covington has it all, money, a famous father, and a mother who enjoys the richness that money can buy. But that soon changes the minute her famous father disappears from their lives. No one seems to know where he is, and his company is going bankrupt. Not knowing what to do, she faces the backlash of the media, and the stares of her classmates. It all seems to be falling apart for Darcy, and her mom. She wants her dad back, and with the company taking everything away, she needs to find a way to make money in order to support herself, and her mom. But help comes when she least expects it the minute her uncle, Charlie, offers his help. As a thrift shop owner, Charlie, does not have a lot of money, and that is one of the reasons why his brother, Darcy's dad, completely ignored him for years. Yet, Charlie's personality is one that offers comfort, and laughter to Darcy that she questions why her dad prevented her from seeing her uncle all this time. 

As she starts to spend more time with Charlie, Darcy meets Lucas, a rather charming and handsome guy that works for her uncle. Not wanting to deal with anything that can distract her from finding her dad, she tries her best to stay away from Lucas, but she soon realizes that Lucas might not want to stay away from her after all. There are secrets that they both have, as well as things in common, and the more time they spend together, the more Darcy starts to learn about herself and what's truly important in live. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, the character development was on point! I liked how Darcy and Lucas's relationship took its own time to development without feeling forced at all. They both had to face challenges, but everything is well wrapped at the end. I did, however, had an issue with just how fast the ending was. It felt a bit rushed right at the end, I really would have liked to see a little bit more of Darcy's relationship with Lucas. Needless to say, everything else in the book worked for me. The story is well-written, and the characters are relatable. The story as a whole felt real, and that's what kept me from stop reading it. Now the characters do have their distinct personalities, Lucas is sweet, handsome, and helpful. He is one of those characters that I would love to meet in real life, and his little sister, Pickles, is hilarious. I love the interaction that they have, it shows just how much he truly cares for those around him. On the other hand, Darcy is not stuck up by any means, maybe a little bit in the begging when she gets her car taken away and she is worried more about the embarrassment that has caused her. But she does change over time, she learns to be brave, and accept her new life. She doesn't give up, and at the end, she proves that she is willing to do anything to keep her family together. Overall, I highly suggest reading this book, it will not disappoint. :)

***ARC provided by Entangled: Teen in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

My Rating: 4.5/5

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