Sophie Reads YA: Wattpad Books

ARC Review: Playmaker by Deanna Faison

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Playmaker
Series: None
Author: Deanna Faison
Published October 22nd 2024 by W by Wattpad Books/Orion

Goodreads Synopsis
Spring Break is about having fun–and a steamy friends with benefits relationship for Maddie and Cameron until they realize they might be falling in love. This BookTok sensation is perfect for fans of Hannah Grace’s Icebreaker and Tessa Bailey’s spicy rom-coms.

What started as a game just got serious.

Cameron's a hot NFL prospect, and a total player on and off the field. But his moves don't seem to work on Maddie. While she once crushed on him hard, that crush has since faded. She’s got big plans of her own and they don’t include him.

Then Spring Break turns their plans, and their feelings, upside down. Maddie and Cameron start a steamy affair, sneaking around behind their families’ backs. But there's one big problem: Maddie’s WAY overprotective brother–who happens to be Cameron’s BFF.

Will Cam be able to admit he's got real feelings? Will Maddie ever be able to stand up to her brother and make her own decisions?

One thing's for sure, their choices will change their life playbooks for good.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

They've known each other their whole lives, but this Spring Break may be the holiday which changes everything. Maddie and Cameron are polar opposites: Maddie is focused on her school work, whereas Cameron is more into the party lifestyle, albeit on track to join the NFL after graduation. Maddie is sure she's over her crush on Cameron, but after being forced to spend 7 minutes in heaven with him at a party, they both realise that the attraction between them is two sided, and decide to enjoy Spring Break and have fun together. However, Cameron broke Maddie's heart when he rejected her after his mother's death, and he has his own trauma and issues to contend with before he can feel worthy enough of Maddie. Will they get their chemistry out of their system, or are they bound to fall in love?

When I saw this book on EW, I knew it would be one I'd enjoy, especially as I've gotten myself into a sports romance phase at the minute. Maddie and Cameron's past was heartbreaking, especially when it was clear that they had always had an attraction to each other, and missed out on being together for so long. Having the get out clause that they're only going to be together for the remainder of Spring Break was a good way for them to explore their feelings, though it was easily clear to readers, and even each other, that they were fooling no one. The sneaking around behind Maddie's family's back was hard, but the scene when it was all revealed was fantastic! Such a fun read, and I hope we get more from the pair in future books.

Dates Read:
August 21-22, 2024

Rating
4 Stars

ARC Review: The QB Bad Boy and Me by Tay Marley

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2022 Beat the Backlist challenge

ARC Review: Revenge of the Sluts by Natalie Walton

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Revenge of the Sluts
Series: None
Author: Natalie Walton
Published February 2nd 2021 by Wattpad Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Double standards are about to get singled out.

In this stunning debut, author Natalie Walton tackles privacy and relationships in the digital age.

As a lead reporter for The Warrior Weekly, Eden has covered her fair share of stories at St. Joseph's High School. And when intimate pictures of seven female students are anonymously emailed to the entire school, Eden is determined to get to the bottom of it.

In tracking down leads, Eden is shocked to discover not everyone agrees the students are victims. Some people feel the girls "brought it on themselves." Even worse, the school’s administration seems more concerned about protecting its reputation than its students.

With the anonymous sender threatening more emails, Eden finds an unlikely ally: the seven young women themselves. Banding together to find the perpetrator, the tables are about to be turned. The Slut Squad is fighting back!
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via Edelweiss. This in no way impacted on my view.

Revenge of the Sluts sees what happens when a school refuses to take a stance on toxic masculinity, slut shaming, and revenge porn. Life at St Joseph's School was going on as normal, until one day the whole student body receive an email from the anonymous 'Eros', in which was attached 7 nudes from senior girls. The lives of those girls, and of Eden, budding reporter at the school paper, are irrevocably changed. All that the school is willing to do is brush it under the carpet, and when Eden reports on the story, she is censored, and the girls who's photos were shared are shamed. Working together, those involved want to spread the word on the cruel nature of revenge porn, and change the way the school, the state, and the country look at the issue, as well as discovering who is behind the email.

I was thrown by how powerful this book was. I thought, going by the cover, that it would be more like that movie John Tucker Must Die, and be a comedy, but it was really serious and hard hitting at times. It felt so real, and honest, from the moment the first email arrived in the students inboxes, until the culprit was found and dealt with. Being English, I'm not that aware of laws and such in America, so I didn't know that some states didn't have a law against revenge porn, and this book takes place in a state where that's the case. All of the seven girls who have their personal images shared are ridiculed, shamed, and lambasted by the majority of others in the book - in some cases by their own families and friends too. I really felt for them, and appreciated when the 'Slut Squad' was formed, as it was somewhere for the girls to talk through it, and deal with the aftermath. I really hated how it was only one teacher who was willing to talk about the issue, and that the administration wanted to bury it under the carpet, and refuse to allow the paper to talk about it. I wasn't really surprised with who the culprit was, but loved the last 10% of the book. A really important book for modern teens!

Dates Read:
January 1, 2022

Rating
4 Stars

2021 New Release challenge

ARC Review: Still With Me (She's With Me #3) by Jessica Cunsolo

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Still With Me
Series: She's With Me #3
Author: Jessica Cunsolo
Published November 23rd 2021 by Wattpad Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Together...until the very end

Jessica Cunsolo’s epic romance that began in She’s With Me comes to a heart-stopping conclusion.

Love has never been easy for Amelia Collins and Aiden Parker. They’ve faced every imaginable challenge: car wrecks, stalker attacks, evil fathers, wicked rivals, falling for each other, and finally giving in to their feelings.

So it’s no surprise that just as Aiden and Amelia begin to plan their future, a new threat emerges that could destroy everything. As Amelia once again attempts to protect those she loves, she inadvertently leaves a trail of clues behind, and her stalker is hot on her trail.

Faced with an impossible choice between love and survival, Amelia and Aiden’s devotion to each other is tested like never before. But it may be no match for a cold-blooded killer.

The thrilling finale in the With Me series is sure to take your breath away . . .
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

The epic conclusion of the With Me series, see's Amelia finally face her stalker, and would-be murderer, Tony. Her and Aiden know their time is limited, and now that there's also Andrew out to get them, made evident by the car crash hit put out on them just after Christmas, there's only so long they have to find the evidence they need to stop them, once and for all. When more comes out about Tony, and the reason for her being sent to King City is revealed, Amelia must do everything in her power to save those she loves, even if it means putting herself at risk. Will they be able to succeed, or is the combined efforts of Tony and Andrew too much?

This book was just the perfect ending to this series. It's all been building to the confrontation with Tony, and I was in awe with how everything happened. Amelia's character has grown leaps and bounds since we first met her, and the way she managed the situation with Tony, and the one with Andrew, was fantastic. There were a lot of loose ends which needed tying up, but they were all interwoven into such a gripping book, that if I hand't needed to sleep, I think I would've stayed up all night to finish the book, straight after I had finished Stay With Me. The romance between Aiden and Amelia is a mature one, where it's not just puppy love, but felt like they were a lot older than Seniors in high school. I loved how so many difficult topics, including intimate partner violence, were discussed and handled with such care - this is a book series that really stays with you long after you've finished it.

Dates Read:
August 21-22, 2021

Rating
4 Stars

2021 Beat the Backlist challenge

ARC Review: Stay With Me (She's With Me #2) by Jessica Cunsolo

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Stay With Me
Series: She's With Me #2
Author: Jessica Cunsolo
Published December 1st 2020 by Wattpad Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Love has never been more dangerous.

In the sequel to her riveting debut, She’s With Me, Wattpad superstar Jessica Cunsolo brings us the dramatic continuation of a romance that always defies the odds...

Amelia Collins finally finds happiness in the arms of Aiden Parker, who accepts her for who she is―even when their pasts become hopelessly entangled in their present and threaten to completely unravel their futures. As Aiden’s accused of a crime he didn’t commit and struggles to keep his family together, Amelia fights a battle of her own: how to tell Aiden she needs to leave.

Determined to put real life on hold for just a little bit longer, Amelia and her friends leave the chaos of King City behind for a beach house and holiday celebrations. Still, it’s only a matter of time before close quarters reveal their secrets and Aiden fully understands the awful truth about the man pursuing Amelia.

Amelia knows she can’t outrun the painful memories of the past and killer’s obsession with her. Her beloved friends are in danger, and she will not let them be harmed. Overwhelmed by love but haunted by fear, Amelia must decide if staying with the person she loves is worth risking his life.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Following the explosive climax of She's With Me, we see how Amelia and the rest of the gang deal with the fallout. Aiden has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his abusive step-father, and he knows the truth about Amelia's name, and history. When Aiden gets released on bail, the whole friendship group, and his two younger brothers, decide to leave King City for a while, and spend the winter holidays in a beach house a few hours away. They all need an escape, and Amelia hopes to have a final hurrah before her and her mam are moved again and given new identities by the witness protection programme. But the past comes to haunt them, and when tensions within the group come to a head, will they be able to stay together, or will the truth come out?

Honestly, I don't know why I haven't read this book sooner. I loved She's With Me, and was approved for the sequel as soon as it was available, but I must've forgotten about it on my kindle to-read shelf. It was only when I was auto-approved for the final book in the trilogy, Still With Me, that I remembered I hadn't read this one yet either. Stay With Me was as good as the first book, if not better. Now that we as the audience, and Aiden, know the truth about why Amelia has been hiding things, and doesn't want to be in any photos or social media, we learn so much more about them all. I love the dynamic within the friendship group, and though I could've done without the potential love triangle happening, I was gripped with everything that happened in the book. It was clearly setting up for a big showdown in book 3 with Tony, but the events surrounding the murder of the step dad, and Aiden meeting his real father, kept me hooked. Aiden and Amelia's relationship went leaps and bounds too, and I love how open and honest they are with each other, though they both can be stubborn at times, and extremely protective.

Dates Read:
August 21, 2021

Rating
4 Stars

ARC Review: How to Be the Best Third Wheel by Loridee De Villa

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How to Be the Best Third Wheel
Series: None
Author: Loridee De Villa
Published May 3rd 2022 by Wattpad Books

Goodreads Synopsis
A clean teen romance comedy about figuring out where you belong when all the constants in your life begin to change.

It’s the last year of highschool, and everything has changed . . .

After spending summer vacation in the Philippines with family, Lara returns to school eager to catch up with her close knit group of girlfriends. But within minutes of reuniting with her friends, she learns that not one, not two, but all three of them are now in relationships that blossomed over the summer. And to make matters worse, Lara’s long time frenemy, James, won’t stop bugging her in class and eventually forces her into tutoring him everyday after school.

Surviving high school was never easy to begin with, but with occupied friends, a hectic Filipino family, and her annoying childhood enemy pestering her more than ever, Lara tries to juggle everything, while trying to figure out her own place in the chaos.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Lara spent the summer before senior year visiting family in the Philippines, and expected that nothing much would have changed when she returned. So it's a shock when her three best friends all have found boyfriends over the summer, and she's the third wheel - or more like the seventh wheel. And what makes it even worse is that the boyfriends are all friends with her arch nemesis, James, who is third wheeling too. Now that the two groups are mixed, Lara can't escape James, and the feeling she pushed aside when she was younger are coming back.

I was really surprised by this book. I was expecting it to be a decent contemporary, probably a little cringy in places, and though that did happen at times, I also couldn't put the book down once I started it. I really enjoyed all of the characters in the book. Lara was a little abrasive at times, but she was dealing with a lot of change, and she wanted to keep the status quo. However, it read like a real book, with real characters and scenarios. Okay, it was cringy at times, and a bit over the top at others, but all in all, it really suited the characters and the setting of it. The only real thing I disliked was the ending, though I think it was probably included to make the book feel more realistic, rather than fiction? I don't know, but it was a solid debut in any case.

Dates Read:
December 4 2021

Rating
4 Stars

2022 New Release challenge

ARC Review: Float by Kate Marchant

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Float
Series: None
Author: Kate Marchant
Published February 22nd 2022 by Wattpad Books

Goodreads Synopsis
A heartfelt summer read for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han about holding on and letting go.

Waverly Lyons has been caught in the middle of her parents’ divorce for as long as she can remember. This summer, the battle rages over who she’ll spend her vacation with, and when Waverly’s options are shot down, it’s bye-bye Fairbanks, Alaska and hello Holden, Florida to stay with her aunt.

Coming from the tundra of the north, the beach culture isn’t exactly Waverly’s forte. The sun may just be her mortal enemy, and her vibe is decidedly not chill. To top it off? Her ability to swim? Nonexistent.

>Enter Blake, the (superhot) boy next door. Charming and sweet, he welcomes Waverly into his circle. For the first time in her life, Waverly has friends, a social life, and soon enough, feelings . . . for Blake. As the two grow closer, Waverly’s fortunes begin to look up. But every summer must come to an end, and letting go is hardest when you’ve finally found where you belong.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After discovering that her divorced parents have decided she won't be joining either of them on their research trips, Waverly Lyons finds herself in Holden, Florida for the summer. It's a very different experience to her usual life in Alaska, and that's not just the weather. With an aunt who is truly welcoming, and making friends for the first time ever, Waverly might just have the perfect summer. However, the hot next door neighbour, Blake, seems to dislike her, and the fact she can't swim either, is set to put a spanner in the works. When the sparks start to fly, will Waverly be able to keep afloat?

I was really pleasantly surprised by this book. I thought it would be a cutesy summer romance - and it was - but there was substance there, and I really liked the characters. I started off feeling really sorry for Waverly, who's super smart parents were a mess, and she was always held up to higher standards and expectations, doomed to disappoint, and when she saw how loving and welcoming her aunt was, it nearly made me cry. Okay, yes, she was stupid to go into the ocean when she couldn't swim, worried that her new friends wouldn't like her, but I can sort of understand it. She really grew over the course of the book, and definitely for the better. The secondary characters, from Blake, to Alissa, Lena, and Jesse, all had faults, but that made them real, and seemed true to today's teens. A really fantastic debut!

Dates Read:
February 8-9, 2022

Rating
4 Stars

2019 Contemporary Romance Challenge

ARC Review: She's With Me (She's With Me #1) by Jessica Cunsolo

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She's With Me
Series: She's With Me #1
Author: Jessica Cunsolo
Published January 7th 2020 by Wattpad Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Jessica Cunsolo’s She’s with Me is a kaleidoscope of modern day teen romance, revenge thriller, and over-the-top excitement. It’s Mean Girls meets Gone Girl meets The Client, as the story twists and turns around its fierce female lead, leading to a heart-racing cliffhanger . . .

Telling the truth is sometimes harder than keeping a secret…

Standing out as the new girl is hard enough, but add in Amelia Collins’s dangerous past, and her life depends on sneaking through senior year unnoticed. But when she crashes into the school’s most infamous heartthrob, Aiden Parker, on her first day, she’s suddenly on everyone’s radar, and as Amelia becomes immersed in a new group of friends, keeping a low profile won’t be an option—even if it’s a necessity.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

I will admit that this book was a cover lust request, and I had absolutely no idea of what I would be getting as I started it, but I was blown over with it. In She's With Me, we follow new girl Amelia, as she is trying to fit in at a new school, get through senior year unscathed, after running from her past. She wants to fly under the radar, but when she crashes into the hottie of the school, Aiden, everyone knows who she is, and she is soon rocketed to the top of the school's social hierarchy. She's loving the way she has fit in at school, but there's always the secret she has to keep hidden, and the more she is with Aiden, the more she wants to open up to him, but it's not safe, for either of them. Will she manage to survive the year, or will her past catch up to her.

Like I said, when I started the book, I was not expecting the way it went. I kind of thought it would be the usual, run of the mill, contemporary book, that would be fun at the time, but wouldn't really stay with me. Well, was I in for a shock? Amelia isn't even her real name, and she's running from a killer, hell bent on making her suffer for something that was wholly out of her control. This isn't the first time she's had to change schools, change identities, everything, but it is the first time that she's really felt comfortable being the new her, and wishes she could be honest with everyone. Her and Aiden were cute together, and had such banter and chemistry that I wasn't surprised they struggled to stay away from each other. Yeah, okay, there are some eye rolling moments in the book, but all in all, it was dead enjoyable, and I can't believe that's how it ended! I hope to read book 2 very, very soon!

Dates Read:
December 7-8, 2019

Rating
4 Stars