November 9

Title: November 9
Author: Colleen Hoover
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Pages: 310
Rating: 5/5 Stars
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The day is November 9, and mere hours away from moving all the way from LA to NYC, Fallon sits down at a table in a restaurant to talk to her self-obsessed father. However, things take a turn when 18 year old Ben slips into the booth next to her, completely altering her life.

Despite how enamoured the two are with each other, they agree that it'd be best if they both only meet each other once a year, on November 9th, allowing each to live a full life, distraction free, until Fallon has reached the age of 23. Because she'll have her life figured out by the time she's turned 23 according to her mother, and 23 is the only safe age to fall in love.

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You ever open a book, just kind of reading it to tick something else off your TBR, and it ends up blowing your mind. That's November 9 for me. This book was absolutely heart stopping. I've never read any Colleen Hoover before, but this novel has definitely convinced me to try out some more of her works. (Any suggestions?) 

We start off with 18 year old Fallon, explaining to her movie star father that she's moving all the way across the country to start up a career in Broadway. Fallon was an actress for film/TV before she got seriously injured in a fire while sleeping at her dad's house exactly two years prior. The fire scorched her skin, giving her long scars that marred her left side. At the time, she'd been staring in a big TV show, jumpstarting her career as an actress. However, after the fire, the company broke her contract and she found herself unable to land a role. 

So she's talking to her father about how she wants to take up theatre, and he has the audacity to tell her she's no longer pretty enough to act professionally. Infuriated from the nearby booth, Ben slips into their table and goes off on Fallon's dad. Afterwards, they sort of fall for each other. With the prospect of Fallon moving away looming ahead, they agree to meet every year on that same day- November 9. 

I thought it was such a unique idea. I literally knew nothing about this novel going into it, but my interest was immediately grasped- right from the start. From Fallon's interesting condition to the crazy agreement the two set up, this book is a completely new and unique storyline. 

And it was just completely addicting, I couldn't stop reading. It wasn't your typical, straightforward romance novel- it was something completely new and completely original. Nothing was predictable. Plus it was kind of cool reading about Fallon trying to cope with having her self confidence stolen away, as a subplot to the actual story. And watching her relationship develop with her movie star father was another subplot I enjoyed.

I highly, highly recommend you read November 9 by Colleen Hoover. It was an absolutely amazing read, and it fully deserves the five stars I'm giving it.

Click here to view November 9 on Goodreads

Anna and the French Kiss

Title: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Pages: 372

Rating: 4 Stars

Purchase this book:

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Book Depository

Anna does not want to leave her home in Atlanta, but her rich and famous author-father believes that attending a boarding school in Paris will be "beneficial". So, Anna packs her bags and sets off for the City of Light. However, when she gets there, she discovers that maybe Paris won't be as bad as she thinks- especially once she's set her eyes on the charismatic Étienne St. Clair. 

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This book was so cute! I don't read that much contemporary, and even less romance, but I was pleasantly surprised here. The Parisian setting along with the adorable characters create a lovable, fun novel.

My favorite aspect of Anna and the French Kiss is definitely the setting. Reading a book that takes place in Paris is just flat out fun. A lot of contemporary books are set in the states, a setting I'm familiar with, so it doesn't have the new and exciting feel to it. Paris is a place so different and distant from what I'm used to, and it made the book all that more enjoyable. I also take French, so I do know about the culture, geography, and language.  I think my background knowledge on the location allowed me to appreciate things in the story even more. 

The characters are fun, too. Sure, "charismatic, confident boy meets shy, new girl" is a little cliché, but it doesn't matter because their relationship is so unique. They're strong friends throughout the book, rather than instantly a couple. Plus, they aren't the only characters in the novel. Their other friends have unique personalities that make the book special and different. 

I will have to say that the writing in the book wasn't always the best. Sometimes I felt like the sentence structure was too choppy and disruptive. Too flat. And there were a few points in the plot that were way too convenient/predictable.  But, the story was super addictive, and I just really enjoyed getting to sit down and read this book. 

I read in the acknowledgements that this novel started out as a National Novel Writing Month book- how cool is that? So, I'm giving Anna and the French Kiss four stars for it's lovely characters, adorable romance, and fresh plot line. If you're reluctant about contemporary and/or romance, give this book a try! I think you'll like it.