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new adult review

Book Review: “Cat and Mouse” by Jacquelyn Phillips

Title: Cat and Mouse (The Games We Play #1)

Author: Jacquelyn Phillips

Published: March 19th, 2017

Publisher: A Lady And Her Pen

Find the Author: Goodreads 


Disclosure: I was sent this book for review. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

My name is Roxanne Vaughn. Most people just call me Roxy. My parents call me a disappointment. I’m not gonna lie—I hate how much they detest me, but I’ve learned to embrace their scepticism. What better way to write poetry than to feel like an outcast? Insecure. Ugly. Stupid. Even writing about my failure in pre-med has earned me some notoriety in my creative writing classes. Although, some people believe I should write fiction, I don’t know if I could do that. It would probably end up being some distorted version of my own sick reality. I’m originally from San Diego, the daughter of two well-known doctors, and the younger sister to the perfect God-send of an offspring. I moved to Rohnert Park to attend Sonoma State, to escape the pressures related to living with my parents and in the hope of creating some friendships along the way.
I just so happened to meet two extremely different boys—one in San Diego, one in Rohnert Park—on this journey to self-discovery.
I just so happened to fall in love with the wrong one.
I’m not one of those “typical” party girls. Well, at least I wasn’t. My three best girlfriends converted me to their religion of drinking and bad decisions every Thursday through Saturday night. I guess you could say I live two lives. Possibly three, if you count hiding in my bedroom from societal pressures one of them. I’m just a normal girl who puts her pants on one leg at a time. Except I’m sleeping with two different guys every time I put on said pants.
Life could be worse.
I could be striving to live the life of a penniless poet, bussing tables to afford an education my parents refuse to pay for. I could also be in a relationship built off of a foundation of lies. But who am I to judge? I’m just a simple twenty-something year old girl looking for her place in life.
Maybe you’re in the same position as me. But if you’ve already found out who you are—all that soul searching crap—don’t rub it in my face. I’m working on it. It’s just taking me longer than expected.
I’m a poet. I’m a bad daughter. I’m a good lover. I’m a loyal friend. I’m a hot mess. But is there more to life than just that?


First Thoughts

So, as you all may know, my Blogger dash has been acting seriously weird lately. Every post takes forever to load and then on top of that, several of my reviews (old and fairy new) have been deleted! Every trace of them, except the links on twitter, directing to nowhere, have vanished. Silly me writes everything here and I didn’t have a back-up, which I really should have done. But, with that said, I’m slowly starting to find out which book reviews were deleted and put them right back up. Cat and Mouse is one of them – one of the best, lesser-known novels I’ve read this year! 

Review

My first thought when I started reading Cat and Mouse was that I knew some part of me would resonate with Roxy, our main character. She’s a college student, kind of lost in the midst of growing up and it sucks – and that, I totally get. She was like one of my best friends, I could just feel myself thinking, “Yes, a thousand times yes” when she would say something, or think something, about being a twenty-something girl trying to live up to her siblings image and find a place in her Parents – who refused to pay for her education – hearts, no matter how small. 

But, Roxy’s life is a little more complex than my own. For one, she’s dating two people. At the same time. So, ultimately things are up in the air where her own heart is concerned. Her friends are there for her, but more so on the party scene. I thought that Jacquelyn wrote these college experiences and lifestyles with the feelings about going out with your friends and the pressures, so well written and thought out. In fact, her writing didn’t feel forced or unnatural at all and it was just like reading something from Gemma Burgess, a twinge of New Adult mixed with the remnants of leaving YA behind and Adult ahead. 

Overall, I can’t fault Cat and Mouse for anything. I don’t get to read a lot of lesser-known novels, because I get so many requests for them, but I am so thankful that I got to read this book. Roxy is a poet (and so am I), she was strong and wise (even if she didn’t know it) and I can’t wait to read more in the series (soon, I hope!). Jacquelyn – you have something epic to be proud of! For fans of New Adult, Roxy’s story about finding your place in the world (or faking your way there) will be your new favourite book. Highly recommended, four star read. Amazing!

Rating & Recs

For fans of New Adult, but Adult readers will love this too! 

Have you read Cat and Mouse?


Let me know what you thought in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs!


happy reading!

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Sister Book Swap: “The Vincent Boys” by Abbi Glines

Title: The Vincent Boys

Author: Abbi Glines

Published: October 30th, 2012

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Find the Author: Goodreads


I borrowed this book as part of Sister Book Swap! As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased. 



Ashton is getting tired of being good, of impressing her parents and playing ideal girlfriend to Sawyer Vincent. Sawyer is perfect, a regular Prince Charming, but when he leaves town for the summer, it’s his cousin Beau who catches Ashton’s eye. Beau is the sexiest guy she’s ever seen, and even though he’s dangerous, Ashton is drawn to him.

Beau loves his cousin like a brother, so the last thing he wants to do is make a move on Sawyer’s girl. Ashton is off-limits, absolutely. That’s why he does his best to keep his distance, even though he’s been in love with her forever. When Ashton wants to rekindle their childhood friendship in Sawyer’s absence, Beau knows he should say no.

Ashton and Beau don’t want to hurt Sawyer. But the more they try to stay away from each other, the more intense their urges become. It’s getting way too hard to resist…

When Sophie gave me this book as our first Sister Book Swap, I was torn on what type of read this would be since my usual picks are YA that aren’t typically on the border of New Adult. I had heard great things about Abbi’s writing, so ultimately I had high hopes for The Vincent Boys. 

Ashton Gray is far from perfect, but that’s the destiny she chose to follow. As a kid, she was always causing havoc with her best friends Beau and Sawyer Vincent (who were cousins), but more closely Beau who she used to have the most fun pranking people with. Fast forward years later and Ashton is far from the girl she used to be. She’s carved herself into the flawless Preacher’s daughter who wouldn’t dare step out of line, and with the charming and ever-so-perfect Sawyer by her side, Ashton thought she had it all. 
Beau Vincent is the town’s bad boy. Aside from the occasional sentence and favour, Beau and Ashton strayed apart from their younger, wild days. Whereas Beau stays out drinking and hanging out with his girlfriend Nicole, Ashton felt neglected and alone since Sawyer was away. She knew he’d be back soon, but then she’d just have to keep up the act of the good girl for even longer. Beau was the only one who knew that she wasn’t really like that, and when they reconnect suddenly, she starts to peal away the layer of fake Ash and let the real one shine. . .but that lands her right in Beau’s arms. 
Ash and Beau’s romance is fiery and complicated. They both know they like each other, he can only be a better person with her and she can only be herself when she’s with him. They go to extreme measures to keep their sordid liaison a secret, but when Sawyer returns and heated Nicole catches on, everything comes crashing down. 
Complex, enchanting and lively, The Vincent Boys was a whirlwind of a novel. From the shocking twists to the fights to romance, there was never a dull moment. The characters seemed so real to me and both Ashton and Beau’s POV’s were both riveting and clear-cut to their unique voices. I loved getting to know the world of characters and can’t wait to see how this novel floods into the next in the series. A definite, unexpected five-star read. 
Older YA and NA romance fans!
Sophie from 23 Review Street sent over these questions to go with my review from what I thought about the characters to my thoughts on the plot! 
Both Beau and Sawyer are different in many ways, which one is your favourite and why?
I think Beau was my favourite by far, but that might change when I hear things from Sawyer’s POV when I read the next novel. To me, I think reading about Ash and Beau bonded them in my mind and Sawyer to me didn’t stand out as much. So definitely Beau.

The Vincent Boys is a NA, do you think it is a genre that you would like to read more of?
Even though I loved this book, not all NA appeals to me. I tend to stray away from the hot-paced NA romances and lean toward more sweeter novels, but it’s definitely a genre I’m inclined to read.

My favourite character would have to be Ashton, who would you say your favourite is and why?
I think I agree, Ashton was my favourite. She went through a lot trying to pretend to be this perfect Preacher’s daughter that everyone wanted her to be and the struggle that she went through to reveal what she had done and suffer the consequences and bullying at school was heartbreaking. Having the courage to dust herself off and be happy made her favourite character worthy by far.

Abbi Glines has wrote many series, The Vincent Boys/Brothers is one. Would you be more inclined to read more of her books now that you have read this one?
I loved Abbi’s writing so I would be up for reading another one of her books, more especially the next in the series. 

So that was our first Sister Book Swap!

Check out Sophie’s post here for Roomies. 

What did you think of The Vincent Boys?

Let me know in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs or hashtag #SisterBookSwap

happy reading!

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Blog Tour: “Ugly Love” by Colleen Hoover








Title: Ugly Love

Author: Colleen Hoover
Genre: New Adult – Contemporary Romance
Release Date: August 5th, 2014
Published by: Simon & Schuster UK


I received this from Simon & Schuster UK in exchange for an honest review. As always, my reviews are fair and non-bias. 


Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. 
Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her. They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

This being my sort-of first New Adult read, I was on the fence whether the genre would appeal to me being a YA Fan for most of my reading, but I had heard so many amazing things about Colleen’s previous books from blogger friends that I knew it wouldn’t disappoint. And from the synopsis, I knew this was going to be a rollercoaster of a novel.

Tate Collins meets Miles Archer in a quite bizarre way, passed out in a drunken heap on her brother’s doorstep. At first, it seems like Tate finds him complex, like she can’t figure him out. But even still, it’s soon indisputable that they have an undeniable chemistry that Tate has never had with anyone else before. Although Miles is a closed book on his love life and past from even his friends, when it comes to love, it’s strictly off the table for him and Tate. But their attraction is too strong to deny – even with neither of them wanting love – they enter the agreement that will change both of them forever. 
Written in a mixture of present tense and flashbacks, I got to know Tate quite well really fast, knowing what kind of person she was and what she wanted out of life. She was a strong-minded, smart and highly likable character that stood out among the other lead female characters in other books I’ve read. But Miles was a little different, never really showing his real self or wanting anything else from Tate than their physical relationship. In the flashbacks, chapter by chapter, it starts to piece together the puzzle of Miles Archer, giving us answers to the questions we were dying to know. The ones that could potentially give Tate and Miles a future beyond a relationship agreement – and to actually be open to the idea of love – if Miles could move past his past and look to the future with Tate. 
Colleen’s writing blew me away. I couldn’t fault anything – in the character development, plot or ending – it’s rare to find a book that you can read in one sitting (which I did) without getting disinterested – but I can definitely say that Ugly Love was a flawless, passionate and ardent novel that was one-of-a-kind. This will not be the last book I read by Colleen Hoover for definite. I’m adding her to my authors-to-watch on my TBR list and doing a little haul of her books for sure. 
New Adult book lovers! Add this one to your pre-order now. You seriously don’t want to miss this one at all. It was everything I was expecting and more. A five-star heartbreaking, divine masterpiece.
AH. I don’t want to give anything away at all, because it would totally ruin it for everyone with all the clues. 
So, I’ll just say the ending – because that was IT  – one of the best endings.

New Adult readers, fans of Colleen’s previous novels and Adults alike are going to adore this.

Colleen Hoover is the author of five New York Times bestselling novels. Her first series was published in 2012 and includes SLAMMED, POINT OF RETREAT and the companion novel THIS GIRL. Her second series, published in 2013, includes the #1 NYT’s bestseller HOPELESS and the companion novel, LOSING HOPE. She has released a free novella, FINDING CINDERELLA, as a thank you to her readers for their continued support. The novella is a companion to her Hopeless series, but can be read as a standalone.

You can follow Colleen on Instagram @colleenhoover if you want to watch her pointless, random videos. You can also follow her on TWITTER, but she rarely tweets anything worth following. You can also find her on her blog at colleenhoover.com or on her very active Facebook page at facebook.com/authorcolleenhoover where she loves to give away free stuff when her husband isn’t looking.

Pre-order Ugly Love: Waterstones | WHSmith | Foyles | Amazon | Book Depository | Kindle | iBooks | Google  | eBooks by Sainsbury’s


It was amazing to get to be on Colleen’s Blog Tour for Ugly Love!


Make sure you pre-order your copy to read all the amazement for yourself!


Tell me in the comments what YOU think of Ugly Love or at @LittleMemoirs on twitter!

happy reading!
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