Open Road Summer by Emory Lord

Title: Open Road Summer
Author: Emory Lord
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Release Date: April 15, 2014
Pages: 342
Source: ARC, ALA

Summary from Goodreads:
After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.

Review

EVERY LITTLE DETAIL in this book is likable – the characters, the relationships, the summer setting, the 24-city concert tour, the country music, Reagan’s photography. This is one hell of a contemporary that has become a new favorite of mine. But two things were done EXCEPTIONALLY well that gave this book that favorite status – the friendship between Reagan and Dee and the romance between Reagan and Matt.

Reagan and Dee could not be more different - Dee being kind, and trusting and well-behaved with Reagan being outspoken and stubborn and rebellious - but they were both good girls and their friendship was rock solid. It reminded me of what I have with my best friend. You could tell that these girls loved each other from the way they took care of, supported and looked out for one another. No matter what life threw their way - heartbreak, bad press,  expectation - they were their for each other and would get through it together. It was such an admirable friendship, with deep-seeded roots, and I loved it.

 "'This past year has been a lesson in letting go and holding on, and I still don't know what to make of it. I guess I do know this: find a best friend, and hang on tight.'"

As for the romance between Reagan and Matt – it was just the right amount of sugar and snark. At first, they flirted and teased each other, not really giving much thought to an actual relationship, but the more time they spent together, the more they realized they had in common.They both had a difficult past, understood loss and guilt and regret, and it bonded them together. And then it was sweet, so so sweet. But Reagan struggled to give her heart fully to Matt having been hurt before. But Matt was patient and would not give up on her. Guys, Matt Finch is seriously one of the best fictional boys EVER. Just wait until you see what this boy does for Reagan. I swooned hard. I am totally a finchette.

This book is a must read. Do not be afraid of the hype - I admit that I was - but it is well deserved. It's not often you see such a strong focus on friendship, characters with a lot of personality and depth, a sweet and believable romance, and a fun music-filled setting. This book has a little something for everyone. And it is every bit as fantastic as they are saying.

Going Rogue (Also Known As #2) by Robin Benway

Title: Going Rogue
Series: Also Known As #2
Author: Robin Benway
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Release Date: January 14, 2014
Pages: 320
Source: Library

Summary from Goodreads:
Being permanently based in a local New York City high school as an undercover operative has its moments, good and bad, for 16-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver. Pros: More quality time with her former mark-turned-boyfriend Jesse Oliver and insanely cool best friend, Roux. Getting to spend quality time with her semi-retired and international spy honorary uncle, Angelo. Cons: High school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. But when Maggie's parents are falsely accused of stealing priceless gold coins, Maggie uses her safecracking skills to try and clear their names. Too bad it only serves to put her and everyone she loves in danger. Maggie and her "new team" flee to Paris where they must come up with a plan to defeat their former allies.

Robin Benway can do no wrong in my book.

She creates lovable, honest characters that I just HAVE to root for.

"My eyes widened as I realized what they weren’t saying. 'Are we going rogue?' I whispered. I had heard rumors about spies going rogue, but they had always seemed unbelievable, unstable, completely stupid.
Not anymore.
'Are we going rogue?' I repeated. 'Because if so, I’m in.'
'No, you’re not,' my dad immediately said. 'This is our problem, not yours.'...
My mom wiped at her eyes before I could see the tears. 'We don’t want to put you in any danger.'...
'Okay, look, I’m just going to say it,' I announced. 'I am really good at danger. I sort of excel at escaping it. I don’t like to brag, but I think it’s important to state the facts here.'"

Adorable romance scenes.

"'Why do you keep dating me? I keep putting you in these terrible situations and you stick around.'
'Okay,' Jesse said, settling back next to me and putting his arm around my shoulders. 'Let's start with the A's!'
'You aren't seriously going to-'
'Ambitious!' he said. 'Beautiful. Caring. Determined. Eager to learn.'
'That's chating.' I said, but couldn't hide my smile.'
'Shh, I'm trying to romance you on a rooftop in Paris. Be quiet. Where was I? Oh, yes. Fearless. Generous. Happy.'"

She weaves humor into every page but still manages to keep it serious.

“'Who’s Jeeves?'
'Our fingerprint scanner. I decided to make friends with him.'
'Him? How do you know it’s a man?' my mom asked. 
'Because it’s cold and impersonal and never asks how I am?'
She grinned. 'That’s my girl.'"

And she just gets it. She never make me want to roll my eyes or pull my hair out.

"The problem with fighting dirty, though, is that it makes you feel dirty. I was arguing with the wrong people for the wrong reasons: I was fighting with my parents because they cared about me, I fought with Jesse because he was worried about me, and I was angry at Angelo because of bad intel. But the truth was that I wanted to fight myself. I wanted the two sides of me to clash and only one to win. Either I was a spy or I was a normal girl. I was lashing out at everyone else but in truth, the battle was happening inside me."

Basically, she wrote one kick-ass story. Come on, who doesn't love spies? Better yet, an adorable safe-cracking spy going rogue against some top secret spy organization. This book has everything to put a smile on your face and keep you turning pages. It's fast-paced, fun, charming, adventurous... I could go on and on with positive adjectives to describe this book. There is nothing I would change about it, I loved it that much. And if I am being direct, I think everyone should bump this to the top of their TBR list if you haven't already read it. It's that kind of book.

"'How many safecrackers do you know?'
She shrugged. 'Hundreds, for all I know. You spies are a sneaky bunch.'"

REVIEW: Lady Thief (Scarlet #2) by A. C. Gaughen

Title: Lady Thief
Series: Scarlet #2
Author: A. C. Gaughen
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Release Date: February 11, 2014
Pages: 304
Source: ARC obtained at ALAMW

Summary from Goodreads:
Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves. With a fresh line of intrigue and as much passion as ever, the next chapter in Scarlet’s tale will have readers talking once again.

"'A knife-wielding lady who cut off her own hair to fight a thief taker? There aren't many of you in the world, my lady.'"

This book. THIS book. I liked Scarlet well enough but I LOVED Lady Thief. It was so much MORE in every way that matters:

More LOVE
Between Rob and Scar
Within the Band
From the people of Nottingham

More HATE
Towards Gisbourne
and Prince John
Between the people to the nobility

More LOYALTY
Scar for Rob and Rob for Scar
To the people
From Gisbourne to Scar

More ALLIES
Winchester
Eleanor
Allan

More FOES
Prince John
de Clare
Isabel

More LOSS
In part
and in whole

More GAIN
In family
In triumph

More ACTION
Competitions
Riots
And of course, thievery ;)

I could go on and on. Lady Thief is MORE MORE MORE. So naturally I loved it MORE! :)

REVIEW: Scarlet (Scarlet #1) by A.C. Gaughen

Title: Scarlet
Series: Scarlet #1

Author: A.C. Gaughen

Publisher: Walker Childrens

Release Date: February 14, 2012

Pages: 292
Source: eBook

Summary from Goodreads:

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

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• I loved that Scarlet was a retelling of the classic Robin Hood tale and it was so much more than that. Scarlet had history and passion and grief and cunning. There was a remarkable depth to this story that readers will appreciate.


• The world and characters felt so real, you couldn't help but sympathize with these townspeople and root for the success of Robin Hood and his gang. And there were some serious monsters to root against. So much death and violence. Your heart does not get to take it easy during this reading experience. 


• The band was so much fun. But Scarlet and Rob specifically were great, both individually and as a pair. Scarlet was a riot. She was sassy and stubborn and could hang with the best of them. The story is told from her POV, in a sort of lower-class broken English, which was perfect and really gave voice to her character.  Rob was a sweetheart but could be so dumb at times when it came to Scarlet. Men... *shakes head*


• Who doesn't love a book with thievery and law-breaking, good guys vs bad guys? This book was so much fun and one big adventure. And the ending was perfect. Conclusive but still open-ended enough for the sequel. 

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• I didn't care all that much for the love triangle between Rob, Scarlet and John, primarily because I didn't care all that much for John. Whatever affections John might have had for Scarlet, and vice versa, did not feel genuine and only served as a distraction from Rob and Scarlet, which was perfect and meant to be. Plus, there was too much back and forth on Scarlet's part.


• I didn't find the pacing to be all that fast. Most likely the love triangle focus slowed it down for me. Nevertheless, the book in its entirety was still immensely entertaining. 

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I can understand why there is so much hype surrounding this book. It's a retelling done extremely well - sans the love triangle. The characters are memorable - flawed but great. The setting is thorough and the story is full of emotion. There is plenty of action and adventure and a fair share of thievery and lawbreaking. Who can say no to that? It was a smooth, enticing read from start to finish and I am looking forward to reading Lady Thief!