Precommendations: Volume 2, Issue 6

6/4/2018

It’s officially SUMMER VACATION!!! I’m so excited to have ample time to read and share my bookish thoughts with you! I’m also excited to be bringing you another edition of Precommendations this month, filled with plenty of cute contemporary reads to last you all month. If there are any June releases that you think I need to add to my list, be sure to let me know in the comments. I don’t want to miss out on a great read!

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Save the Date, by: Morgan Matson

June 5th
Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.
The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.
There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a

papergirl with a grudge.
There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.
Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.
Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.

We’re starting off this month with a bang because MORGAN MATSON IS COMING OUT WITH A NEW BOOK... OMG... I CAN’T EVEN... SOMEONE HELP. Morgan Matson is my QUEEN and I love her to death and I know this book is going to be great and I can’t seem to calm down over this book. Whew. Okay. Breathe, sport. BUT, she is one of my auto-buy authors, because I’ve loved every single one of her books. Not to mention, this book is about a wedding hijinx, which is a plot I’ve never read, so this will be a book that stands all on its own. (Plus, weddings have cake. I love cake.) If you haven’t gotten the chance to read one of Morgan’s books already, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Go! Off with you! Come back when you’ve read one! I’m happy to wait up for you. :)

The Art of French Kissing, by: Brianna R. Shrum

June 5th
Seventeen-year-old Carter Lane has wanted to be a chef since she was old enough to ignore her mom's warnings to stay away from the hot stove. And now she has the chance of a lifetime: a prestigious scholarship competition in Savannah, where students compete all summer in Chopped style challenges for a full-ride to one of the best culinary schools in the country. The only impossible challenge ingredient in her basket: Reid Yamada.
After Reid, her cute but unbearably cocky opponent, goes out of his way to screw her over on day one, Carter vows revenge, and soon they're involved in a full-fledged culinary war. Just as the tension between them reaches its boiling point, Carter

and Reid are forced to work together if they want to win, and Carter begins to wonder if Reid's constant presence in her brain is about more than rivalry. And if maybe her desire to smack his mouth doesn't necessarily cancel out her desire to kiss it.

My second recommendation is one that I’ve already had the privilege of reading. (Wait...what?) That’s right! I was lucky enough to read this book a few days ago, and a big thank you to NetGalley for granting my wish. My review will be out on the 6th, so be sure to check back for my full review. But for now, this book is a cute enemies-to-friends romance set in a Chopped environment. I’ve never read a culinary-themed YA book, so this made for a great read to shake things up. If you’ve ever had a sweet spot for those “cook-off” or “bake-off” shows, you are guaranteed to enjoy this book.

Love Scene, Take Two, by: Alex Evansley

June 12th
Teddy Sharpe is kind of famous. He might actually be on his way to being really famous, especially if he'd nailed an audition for the lead role in the movie adaption of the newest bestselling young adult book series. There's just one problem: He totally blew the audition. And he's stuck in a tiny North Carolina airport. And his maybe-ex-girlfriend kind of just broke up with him.
The weekend isn't exactly looking good until Bennett Caldwell, author of the very book series he just auditioned for, takes pity on him and invites him to her family's lake house. Away from the glitz and glam of Hollywood for a few days, Teddy starts to relax . . . and somehow he and Bennett just click. But dating is hard

enough when you aren't the subject of several dozen fanblogs, and the Internet is full of juicy gossip about Teddy and Bennett . . . gossip that Bennett might not be prepared to handle.

Love Scene, Take Two is a story originally published on Wattpad, which I think is fantastic. Some of my first reading experiences took place on Wattpad. This book has that added “bookish” element because one of the characters is an author who is getting her book turned into a movie. How cool, right? It also reminds me a little bit of Jennifer E. Smith’s This Is What Happy Looks Like, with one of the characters being a movie star. This book sounds like it’s going to be an adorable summer read, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Almost Impossible, by: Nicole Williams

June 19th
When Jade decided to spend the summer with her aunt in California, she thought she knew what she was getting into. But nothing could have prepared her for Quentin. Jade hasn't been in suburbia long and even she knows her annoying (and annoyingly cute) next-door neighbor spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
And when Quentin learns Jade plans to spend her first American summer hiding out reading books, he refuses to be ignored. Sneaking out, staying up, and even a midnight swim, Quentin is determined to give Jade days--and nights--worth remembering.
But despite their storybook-perfect romance, every time Jade moves closer, Quentin pulls away. And when rumors of a jilted ex-girlfriend come to light, Jade

knows Quentin is hiding a secret--and she's determined to find out what it is.

I love books about getting characters out of their comfort zones, and this book is just that. It sounds to me like a blend of Morgan Matson’s book, Since You’ve Been Gone, with the summer adventures, and Jenna Evans Welch’s book, Love and Gelato, with its travel to visit relatives and blossoming romance. The main girl, Jade, sounds like a character that all readers can relate to, with her love of reading. Besides, I’m always in the mood for a book involving travel in the summer so you can bet that it’s already on my TBR list.

Your Destination Is on the Left, by: Lauren Spieller

June 26th
Dessa Rhodes is a modern day nomad. Her family travels in an RV, their lives defined by state lines, exit signs, and the small communal caravan they call home. Among them is Cyrus, her best friend and long-time crush, whom she knows she can never be with. When your families are perpetually linked, it’s too dangerous to take a risk on romance.
Instead, Dessa looks to the future. She wants to be a real artist and going to art school is her ticket to success and a new life. There’s just one problem: she hasn’t been accepted…anywhere. Suddenly her future is wide open, and it looks like she’s going to be stuck traveling forever.
Then an unexpected opportunity presents itself: an

internship working with a local artist in Santa Fe. Dessa struggles to prove to her boss—and herself—that she belongs there, but just as she finally hits her stride, her family suffers an unexpected blow. Faced with losing everything that she has worked for, Dessa has a difficult decision to make. Will she say goodbye to her nomadic lifestyle and the boy she loves? Or will she choose to never stop moving?

For a long time now, I’ve loved everything involving travel, nomads, and art, and this book combines all three of these elements into a single book. To say I’m excited would be an understatement. This book is basically everything I want in a summer contemporary. It’s a fresh idea, and I can’t wait to see how it reads on the page. I’m also excited because this book deals with the main character’s future plans, which is something I’m currently trying to figure out. That added layer of relatability tops off my anticipation for this new release. (Also, can we talk about how gorgeous this cover is. I can’t look away.)

Those are my most anticipated June releases. Are you looking forward to these books too? Did I miss one? Let me know in the comments!

Your summer-lover,
Ashton

Moments, when lost, can't be found again. They're just gone.

— Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty

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