Review: Covert Kissing - Laura Pauling

After a disastrous senior year and the prom from hell, Cassidy just wants a nice, normal summer before she begins college. However, things never quite go to plan. Soon, all of her thoughts of kissing go out the window as she contends with the summer job from hell, a very angry Jasper and a worryingly brooding Zeke.

Now, I love Cassidy, and I still do. There's something really real about her; the fact that she babbles (albeit not as much as in the first book) she's still a little bit self-absorbed, but her heart is in the right place and she appears to grow up a little bit more in this book as she tend to worry more about others than herself.

This book actually brings a lot of mystery to an otherwise very teen book concerning the boys and their problems. I actually found myself not really having a clue what they were all worrying about. I also liked how the books tied in very nicely with the first two books in carrying on story lines from most characters perspectives, particularly that of Zeke and his family issues.

This is a quick, fun read very much in keeping with the rest of the series. In fact, the author could do a longer series on Cassidy, as she is such fun that I am dying to know what one earth she will get up to at college. This part has been left unclear, so perhaps that may be the plan. It is very much in keeping with all things teen as it really includes things that any person their age would be doing and thinking about, even if it was kind of reminiscent of High School Musical 2.

There was some good pacing and the read is very engaging. The guys were delved into a little bit, though I still kind of hate Jasper. I loved seeing more of Zeke, and I liked how the romance and kissing wasn't as over the top as it could have been. The book still goes back to its roots in the end with a bit of adrenaline and some family love.

Kyra_x

Review: Prompossible Plans - Laura Pauling

This book is the companion to Prom Impossible and it follows the viewpoints of Zeke, Jasper and Michael as they too make it through the hardest year Cassidy has ever had.

Firstly, we start with Zeke. He is by far the character that I was the most interested in. He's a real hothead at times and I truly wanted to understand why and how things made him so mad and so changeable. His viewpoint actually dealt with a whole other side to him; the part that wallows in his fathers imprisonment and tries not to go down the same path. While the book did show some reasoning behind his volatile temperament, this was much more about knowing who he is underneath all that, and seeing that he liked Cassidy all along.

Second up was Jasper, who was actually kind of nice until he dug himself a giant hole by being a general ass. I still don't understand that boy. Third was Michael, whose viewpoint was nice but perhaps not even essential except to show his realisation that he actually did like Cassidy after all.

Saying all of that, the voices of these characters were great and they we so distinctive. You can truly understand why Zeke says some pretty terrible things as he is a very emotional character, and we really get a feel for that here. Michael's voice really came alive with references to The Lord of The Rings and Star Trek, whilst Jasper's obvious narcissism was just perfect.

I would have really liked a little bit more of Zeke. Since the viewpoints were split up to cover the year in three sections and three voices, the book felt pretty solid, but I would have liked to see the other boys interjecting a little, maybe alternating. For example, nearing the end it would have been great to get Jasper's point of view instead of Michael's. We got a peek of Zeke's romantic side, but we would have seen way more if it was his viewpoint in the giant heart scene.

The book was short and could have had a lot more packed in, but it was enjoyable all the same. I am really looking forward to more of Cassidy in the next book, Covert Kissing. Now we know where everyone stands, I can tell it's going to be one heck of a summer for her.

Prompossible Plans on Goodreads

Prompossible Plans on Amazon,com

Kyra_x

Review: Prom Impossible - Laura Pauling

Cassidy (most American name ever? quite possibly!) is coming into her senior year at school and she already has it all figured out. She's going to bag the man of her dreams this year, and she's going to the prom with him. There's just one catch, he doesn't know that yet, and because he's a nerd, he needs a good push to see the light.

Characterisation was massive in this book; Cassidy is a motor-mouth habitual liar with determination and a fair bit of wit. Some of her comments make you giggle aloud, and the situations she gets herself in seriously make you cringe. When they said it was a modern day Shakespearean comedy, they weren't joking, because there are love triangles and misunderstandings galore. Cassidy was annoying at first, especially when she tried to be funny and when she panicked about nearly everything, but the thing is, I remember being exactly the same at that age. I think this is a perfectly written teenage mind, just given very interesting circumstances to think on.

This was an impressively fast read that makes you think on it every time you have a second. You can't help but wonder what on earth Cassidy will do next, and how she's going to fix it, or make it worse as the case may be. The plot is fairly straightforward in the way that it leads up to the prom, and I loved the way as the year went on everything got more and more complex, and more stressful for Cassidy.

I thought Prom Impossible would be a typical teenage read with nothing really grounding it, but  it pleasantly surprised me by actually dealing with far more things issues than just boys. It actually thinks about what teenagers would think in a situation and gives them the reasons why. It teaches that sometimes parents and aunts do things because they care, not because they want to embarrass you or hurt you, which was something I sometimes needed to be reminded of as a teenager, though possibly not at 17-18. It also teaches that lying is really, really bad for you, especially when you lie and then try to cover it with more lies. This was something plenty of my friends needed to be taught.

As for romance, because essentially that is what you're reading this for, there are all types considered in this, from the fawning of a love not reciprocated to the pounding heart that is lust, to the soft, steady type of love that comes up on you when you least expect it. As for the men, Zeke was my favourite, as he's utterly supposed to be. The reformed bad-boy type with a penchant for turning up at exactly the right time is exactly what a teenagers dream of; they get the image without all the flaws.

A good, fun read with a lot of drama and a lot of cringey situations, perfect for teens and perfect for a lapse into your teenage self if you're not one. 8.5 out of 10, purely because the voice took a while to get used to and to actually like.

Prom Impossible on Goodreads

This book was gifted to me as a review copy via Xpresso Book Tours.