Monday, January 15, 2018

Book Review | Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West

Title: Love, Life, and the List
Author: Kasie West
PublicationDecember 26th 2017 by HarperTeen
Series: First book in a set of three standalones with crossover characters
Pages: 384
Genre: YA Contemporary
Copy: Bought
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Abby Turner’s summer isn’t going the way she’d planned. She has a not-so-secret but definitely unrequited crush on her best friend, Cooper. She hasn’t been able to manage her mother’s growing issues with anxiety. And now she’s been rejected from an art show because her work “has no heart.” So when she gets another opportunity to show her paintings Abby isn’t going to take any chances.
Which is where the list comes in.
Abby gives herself one month to do ten things, ranging from face a fear (#3) to learn a stranger’s story (#5) to fall in love (#8). She knows that if she can complete the list she’ll become the kind of artist she’s always dreamed of being. But as the deadline approaches, Abby realizes that getting through the list isn’t as straightforward as it seems… and that maybe—just maybe—she can’t change her art if she isn’t first willing to change herself.



Ahhhh the comforting bliss of reading a Kasie West novel.  These books are 100% my guilty pleasure books, except I'm not even guilty about it.  I'm not going to argue against it; West's YA contemporary novels are not the most original or unpredictable.  But, that doesn't stop me from enjoying them any less.  I fall for her cutesy, fluffy love stories every time.

Okay, so I liked the idea of unrequited love and all that, but the ending just didn't sit very well with me this time.  I don't know why, but I just wasn't rooting for the love story as much as I usually do.  That being said, I did love the characters individually, and I loved Abby's arc throughout the book.  Characters that were side characters in the book, such as Abby's mom and and granddad, were super well developed, and I loved how Abby had such a good relationship with her family, even when they fought or had some bumps in the road.  I also liked how Abby's friendships meant just as much to her as her other relationships, and she didn't discard her friends to pursue a guy (one of my ultimate pet-peeves).  

Overall, this book wasn't perfect for me, but I did enjoy reading a nice, light, fluffy read, especially since I'm on break and not having to read textbooks all day!  If you like Kasie West or if you like light contemporaries, then I would definitely recommend this one!

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