Melina's Book Club | #23

I know I have skipped my book club posts recently, but it's because I ended up making two Youtube videos talking about books. For those of you that consume both my videos and my posts, I didn't want to make any more book stuff for a little while. If you haven't watched them, you can check out my favorite Christmas Books & my favorite books read in 2020 here! Let's get into today's book club.

Currently Reading:

Since getting my Kindle Paperwhite at the end of November, I've been breezing through books. I've already read 9 books this year, which means that I'm super ahead of schedule. I didn't get any reading done while visiting my brother in South Carolina, which was unexpected, but fine. I tend to do more reading when I need to escape more from my life, and the fact that I didn't crave a book at all during that week says a lot.

I've been trying to branch out with my reading during this time. I'm continuing the Da Vinci Code series by reading The Lost Symbol. I'm only a few chapters in, but it's been really good so far! I'm also reading The Martian. I had watched the movie a few years back, and I remember really liking the movie and wanting to read the book, so I'm also reading that. Finally, I was looking at some of my favorite authors, and found that Ally Carter had some books that I hadn't read of hers. I have to say that I'm not the biggest fan of this two book series. They're not even close to as good as the Heist Society series. We'll see if I end up finishing this one.

What I'm Reviewing Today:

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As always, If you’re interested in a specific book, you can click on the cover, and it’ll take you to that part of the post!

The Wrong Kind of Love by Lexi Ryan - ★★★★

“I wasn't afraid of the lie but of the truth. I was afraid that I wasn't enough. I never have been before.”

- Lexi Ryan, The Wrong Kind of Love

After Nic finds out that her sister is pregnant with her fiancé on her wedding day, she runs away and pretends to be her sister. She takes on the job her twin sister was supposed to start. She was just supposed to take some time away from her friends and family while fixing her broken heart. She wasn't supposed to fall for Ethan, the father of the girl she was babysitting.

I have read a few of Lexi Ryan's books, and I tend to like her writing style. Her stories tend to be cute fluff pieces. This one was no different. It was so cute seeing Ethan and Nic create a relationship. It's obvious from the moment you start reading this play out, that she was going to have to tell him eventually who he was, and it would cause conflict, but even though it was predictable at times, I enjoyed it!

I was definitely frustrated at times by how kind and forgiving Nic was, but it didn't make me hate the book any less. If you want to give this book a read, you can check it out here!

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson - ★★★★

“Real friends are the ones you can count on no matter what.

The ones who go into the forest to find you and bring you home.

And real friends never have to tell you that they’re your friends.”

Morgan Matson, Since You've Been Gone

This is the second book I read by Morgan Matson. Since reading this book, I have read Save the Date, which spoiler alert, was AMAZING!

Sloane was always the one who took Emily out of her shell. She was the one who made life interesting. They were supposed to have the most epic summer, when Sloane just disappears. Not a phone call, or a text left behind. Just a to-do list.

On the list is 13 Sloane-inspired-things to do. Things Emily would have never done on her own. The only thing running through Emily's mind is What if finishing the things on the list brought her best friend back.

Some items on the list were easy, and some were a little more tricky. With the help of Frank (an unexpected, yet pleasant help), she goes on to tick off every item on the list.

This book, was amazing in every way you wouldn't expect. I would consider this book to be a self-discovery/cute romance. I actually mentioned this in my favorite books read in 2020 video, which is kind of funny, because I completely forgot that this book was written by the same person who wrote Save the Date, until writing this, but Morgan Matson's books remind me of a modern Sarah Dessen.

I used to love Sarah Dessen's books back in the day. I kind of feel like she lost her touch, and so I'm glad to have found an author that has that similar kind of feel?

If you are a fan of old Sarah Dessen books, or you just love self-discoveries or cute romances, this is the book for you! Just talking about this book is making me want to reread it. You can check out the book for yourself here.

Notorious (It Girl #2) by Cecily Von Ziegesar – ★★★

“...forgiving is not the same as forgetting.”

Cecily Von Ziegesar, Notorious (It Girl #2)

This continues the drama from the first book. It continues to follow Jenny, Callie, Tinsley, and the other girls & guys at Waverly. If you want to learn more about the series in general you can read my lil' book review in this post.

I liked this book as much as I liked the first one. It's written in the same style, and has a similar drama, so if you go and read the first book in the series, you are going to like this one.

This book is not a standalone, and you have to read the first book in order to know what' happening in the second! If you have already read the first book, and want to check this book out, you can grab your copy here.

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez - ★★★★

“I already know how I'm going to die"..."How?" I asked. "Spider bite. Or being sarcastic at the wrong time.”

Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone

Kristen is a no nonsense girl. She has no time for drama, and doesn't have time for guys that don't get her. Especially knowing that she is going to have to do a mandatory surgery that will make it impossible for her to have kids.

While planning her best friend's wedding she meets the best man, Josh. He is perfect, even her dog likes him! There is one catch, he wants a big family in the future. Kristen knows that he is better off with someone better, but it gets harder to keep him at a distance as they continue to get to know each other better.

This is the first book I've ever read by Abby, and I loved it! The conflict in this book is something so devastating in itself, but to find someone you consider your perfect match, only to find out that the one thing he wants most, is something you will never be able to give him is so difficult. I felt for Kristen the entire time.

The book is extremely funny, and you honestly just fall in love with both of the main characters! If you want to check this book out for yourself, you can check it out here!

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We've had a pretty good book review! Talking about all these books are making me want to reread them! I think I'm definitely going to reread The Friend Zone and Since You've been Gone. Two completely different books, and yet two books that I remember loving so much! If you haven’t kept up with the other books I’ve reviewed, you can check them out below:

MELINA'S BOOK CLUB | #22

MELINA’S BOOK CLUB | #21

MELINA’S BOOK CLUB | #20

MELINA’S BOOK CLUB | #19

MELINA’S BOOK CLUB | #18

So, if you guys didn’t know, you can check out all the books I’ve reviewed in 2021 on one page! Check it out. I also have a page full of all the books I’ve ever reviewed. What have you been reading recently? Let me know! I’m always looking for new books to add to my TBR list. Thank you as always for reading. Have a wonderful day/night! Sending you love, strength, and positivity! xx