Review: Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

Release Date: April 3, 2018 

Publisher: Simon Pulse 

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review 

Add to Goodreads!

Amazon | BN | Indiebound 

In this romantic dramedy from the author of Alex, Approximately, a teen girl’s way-too-ordinary life is driven off the beaten path when she’s abandoned in the wilderness with her worst adversary—the boy who broke her heart.

Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.

But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.

What could go wrong?

With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.

And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?

Review:

Last summer I read and loved Jenn Bennett's Alex, Approximately. Seriously, if you haven't read it already what are you waiting for?! Go forth and buy a copy! Anyhow, when I caught wind of Starry Eyes, Jenn's newest book, I couldn't have been more excited. The fact that it featured one of the activities I dread most - camping-  didn't even detour me. I had faith that Jenn would make it fun, and luckily, that's exactly what happened. 

Starry Eyes is laugh-out-loud funny. It perfectly captures the adorable, the awkward, and the hair-pulling-out aspects of first love. Better yet, it introduces two of my newest favorite characters - Zorie and Lennon. I could read about them all day, every day. 

There are so many aspects I love about Starry Eyes. I don't even know where to begin, but I guess I'll start with the camping aspect. 

Like Zorie, camping terrifies me....the lack of control, the wild animals, the sleeping outside, etc. None of it sounds all that appealing; however, now that I've finished Starry Eyes I'm dying to go on a camping trip. Why you may ask? Because of Jenn Bennett's fantastic descriptions as well as the love Zorie grew for camping as the story progressed! I loved following Zorie and Lennon's adventures. From the caves to the waterfalls to the forest there was never a moment where I wasn't drooling over it all. Not to mention it kept me hooked all the way through. I was constantly wondering where Lennon would lead them next...and would they make it through the backcountry unscathed? That was one question I was dying to know an answer to! 

As mentioned above, I loved Zorie and Lennon as well! They're a large part of what makes Starry Eyes such a wonderful read. 

I liked Zorie from the moment she was introduced. She's a tad obsessive, planning out each and every aspect of her life. She's caring, protecting her step-mom from a secret that she knows will break her. She's smart if the whole astrophysics thing is any indication. She has spunk and confidence but there's also times were she feels weak beyond relief, especially when it comes to a certain boy/former best friend. Zorie felt real, and even better, her problems felt real. When the book first started, I did have one hope for her - that she would learn to live a little, to find comfort in the unplanned. As someone who likes order and routine, I could understand Zorie's fear of the unknown - been there done that/something I still deal with. Over the course of the book, Zorie willing and unwilling learns to let go, and I couldn't have been any prouder! I was cheering her on the whole way through. 

On the other hand, I wasn't too sure about Lennon at first. I couldn't get a good feel for him, and I couldn't quite gather if he was a good guy or a bad guy. However, over the course of the book, I began to like him more and more, and I could one-hundred percent see why Zorie would be so torn up over loosing him. He is a wonderful, caring guy. Sarcastic? Yes. Bossy? Occasionally. But willing to do anything to protective the ones he loves? Yes and without a second of hesitation! 

When I first read Starry Eyes's synopsis, I thought everything would be very cut and dry: former best friends fall in love in the wilderness. However, Jenn Bennett offered much more than that. There was romance, family drama/dynamics, well developed relationships, coming-of-ages, and a whole to of growing up to be found. I appreciated the focus on family here. We see two different families with Lennon and Zorie. Lennon has two moms and a dad while Zorie has her step-mom and dad. The family dynamics were rich as well as realistic. I loved Lennon's moms. Not only were they adorable together, but they also had some of the funniest lines. I also loved the relationship between Zorie and her step-mom. Additionally, I loved that Jenn through some surprises in as well, especially in regard's to Zorie and Lennon's falling out. My jaw dropped more than once to say the least! 

While I could go on about this book all day, I won't bore you with that. Instead, I'll leave you with the following: 

Starry Eyes releases April 3, 2018! Pre-order it. Mark it on your calendar. Write its title on a sticky note. Do something, because this book is one you don't want to miss! Jenn Bennett is quickly becoming one of my go-to YA contemporary romance authors (right up there with Sarah Dessen and Stephanie Perkins!). 

5 stars!! 

Review: Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

In this delightfully charming teen spin on You’ve Got Mail, the one guy Bailey Rydell can’t stand is actually the boy of her dreams—she just doesn’t know it yet.

Classic movie buff Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online by “Alex.” Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush.

Faced with doubts (what if he’s a creep in real life—or worse?), Bailey doesn’t tell Alex she’s moved to his hometown. Or that she’s landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she’s being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth—a.k.a. her new arch-nemesis. But life is whole lot messier than the movies, especially when Bailey discovers that tricky fine line between hate, love, and whatever-it-is she’s starting to feel for Porter.

And as the summer months go by, Bailey must choose whether to cling to a dreamy online fantasy in Alex or take a risk on an imperfect reality with Porter. The choice is both simpler and more complicated than she realizes, because Porter Roth is hiding a secret of his own: Porter is Alex…Approximately.

Review:

I'll admit it....

I originally added this book to my TBR based on the cover. What can I say... I like pretty covers. Plus I was loving the summer vibes it was giving off. It makes me want to go watch a movie in a pool.

As it turns out, Alex, Approximately had a lot more to it then just a pretty cover (thankfully!). Witty and charming, Alex, Approximately had me hooked from page one, and made me wish that I (someone who really doesn't like movies - I know SHOCKER) could be as much of a movie enthusiast as Bailey.

"My name is Bailey Rydell, and I'm a habitual evader." (pg. 4) 

As an occasional habitual evader myself, I knew that from that sentence onward Bailey and I were going to get along just fine. Bailey turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the book. She was lovable as well as relatable. She's the standard teenage girl. Bailey doesn't know where she's going in life, or how she's getting there, but she what she does want is a normal, stress free life, one with as little confrontation as possible (really, who doesn't want that? Young or old.) Bailey starts off the book by trying to fly under the radar, but it's hard to do when her new boss seems to love making fun of her and one of the coworkers wants to be friends, and over the course of the book Bailey comes out of her shell. She goes from being someone who always flows with the crowd, not speaking up when something bothers her, to someone who says what she feels, even when it gets her in huge trouble (as it did toward the end). I enjoyed seeing the friendships and relationships she developed throughout the book. Bailey and Porter mixed together as well as oil and water at first, but over time they got this good flow going- one that contained steaminess and funny banter (I don't know about you all but I love funny banter!). I also loved her relationship with her dad. I adored when they nerded out together over board games and how even at their worst moments all they wanted was for the other one to be happy. It was cute and mushy and it reminded me of my own relationship with my mom.

Besides Bailey, I also loved Porter. He was incredibly infuriating at times, but over the course of the book, I realized there was a lot more to Porter than met the eye. I enjoyed seeing him going from being archenemies with Bailey to friends to eventually something more. The only part of his character that brought him down a slight notch in my eyes? His ridiculousness towards the end and lack of communication. However, overall Bailey and Porter were couple goals.

The setting in this was also a high point for me. Alex, Approximately made me feel as if I was right there with Porter and Bailey in California, seeing the churro carts (gosh was I craving a churro during this one!), the surf shop, the museum, etc. Jenn Bennett did a fantastic job of fleshing out the setting as well as utilizing it to make the book more well-rounded.

The plot in this was predictable but sometimes predictable is all I want in a good summer romance. As mentioned before, I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Bailey and Porter play out. It was especially fun and actually sort of suspenseful knowing that Porter was Alex from the start but having to watch Bailey and Porter figure it out for themselves. There was so many moments, I was internally screaming "come on guys, you know each other! Porter is Alex and Bailey is Mink!" It was frustrating but in a fun kind of way, I promise. I also enjoyed reading about the day-to-day happenings at the museum - I wish it was a real museum - as well as Porter and Bailey's complicated family histories (again sort of predictable but I still liked it).

With lovable characters, swoon-worthy romance, and perfectly quoted movie scenes at the start of each chapter,  Alex, Approximately is yet another fantastic summer read. I cannot wait to read more by Jenn Bennet.

Grade: A+ 

Alex, Approximately (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) is now out!

Source: Library