Jennifer DiGiovanni

Best friends Sadie and Jana want to make the most of their senior year of high school. They decide to make a list of ten awesome achievements for senior year to fill in before they graduate. They want to play a school sport, be in the school play, break a rule, get detention and ride in the cool kid's car. However, when senior superlatives come out Sadie is surprised that she and her longtime friend Andy have been paired as Most Likely to Get Married. Sadie is thrown off course and feels like she needs to fix this obvious mistake. But, is there more to Andy Kowalski than Sadie realizes?

My Senior Year of Awesome is a super cute, funny and realistic high school romance. I loved the characters, Sadie and Jana are just like girls that I knew in high school. I adored their lists and how willing they were to try new things and potentially fail spectacularly. This book felt so true to the high school experience with highs and lows, missed signals, poor communication, unknown futures, trying to figure things out and fit everything in before graduation. The romance progressed very naturally and I was definitely rooting for Andy and Sadie to figure everything out.… (lisätietoja)

Fast-paced and a nice twist on superhero powers.

Cara is a smart girl who doesn't carry much baggage and enjoys life and high school, while, of course, looking forward to the day she graduates. When she suddenly becomes ill and lands in the hospital with a rare disease, her life takes a massive turn. Although she's soon back on her feet, she feels like she's constantly on overdrive. To add to the stress, the famous son of the richest family in town is back for Winter break and, for only heaven knows which reasons, seems to be stalking her. Not only that, but there's something strange about him. As Cara finds herself pulled into an unbelievable life, she begins to wonder if she can trust Alex or not.

This is a nice read. It packs all the wonderfulness of the drama of a YA romance, rolls it in layers of dark secrets, and tops it off with amazing and developing superpowers. Cara is a great character. While uncertain and a little naive at times, she also packs a good amount of self-esteem and doesn't let anyone push her around. Her lack of baggage in the beginning is refreshing and makes her easy to connect to—just an average girl.

The explanation behind the superpowers and the 'civil war' surrounding it aren't really explained with much detail. Even the full extent of what each person can really do is left foggy around the edges. While this does leave many questions open, it doesn't really hurt this first book. There are many things still left to be explained, but much of this will probably appear in the rest of the series. As it is, the reader learns with Cara and the concentration remains on her own struggle to discover the beginning layers of her emerging powers and the new world it's opening up to.

There are dark secrets and layers of intrigue, and while the 'true' evil man only takes a backseat in this first book, there are enough secrets and questions to make the initial question of who to trust strong enough to carry this plot. Each character carries their own agenda and history, which adds a nice amount of depth. And there is a completely unexpected twist or two.

And there's romance. Of course. It hits with a 'love at first sight' and rounds it off with the roughness of mistrust and discovery. It's not completely smooth but works okay. Cara's initial boyfriend comes across great in the beginning. Alex's appearance drives in a rather sudden, not completely explainable, break-up, which left with a remaining kink. This whole side still needs more time in the upcoming series too. Which means there's tons to come in the next books, and if they're anything like this first one, they'll be entertaining reads.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed it enough to want to leave my honest thoughts.… (lisätietoja)