Mini-reviews: Signs of You + P.S. I Like You

Signs of You by Emily France

pub 7/19/16 by Soho Teen
YA - Contemporary

Signs of You requires you to suspend your disbelief and to instead look deeply at the characters and how their personal tragedies brought all them together. Riley Strout lost her mother two years ago and at the time, she joined a grief support group which led her to make three friends: Jay, Kate and Noah. They’ve each lost a loved one as well and the four of them have been this little unit ever since. As I hinted, the book is a little out there and while I didn’t love it or even “really like” it, I did appreciate the fascinating way it looked at grief and incorporated religion. Basically one day Riley sees her mother shopping at a grocery store and thinks she must be hallucinating or experiencing some sort of post-traumatic stress. That is until Jay and Kate say they’ve been experiencing the same thing. Noah doesn't but that's part of the “mystery”. And this mystery also involves a religious relic that belonged to Jay’s dead father. (See how crazy this gets?) It leads the four friends on a wild goose chase while delving into grief, death, afterlife and the usual teenage drama.

Do I recommend? The book felt off-balanced to me and didn’t quite juggle the more serious aspects with the teenage drama as well as it could have. Not to mention the ending was pretty abrupt. It’s not something I would personally recommend but if you’re intrigued, it is a quick read. 

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

pub 7/26/16 by Point
YA - Contemporary

I'm a big fan of Kasie West and P.S. I Like You is currently my favorite of all her contemporaries. I really needed a feel good book at the time I read this and it absolutely delivered, as evident by the huge smile on my face when I reached the last page. It's about Lily who doesn't quite fit in at school but she's got her best friend Isabel, her big rambunctious family and her love of music to keep her happy. One day she gets bored in Chemistry class and jots down lyrics to a song on the desk. Much to her surprise, someone else has continued the lyrics and added a note for her. This is just the beginning of a super cute back and forth as each new day brings a new letter from her anonymous pen pal. Only it does eventually become clear to the reader just who this person is. I obviously don't want to spoil but what unfolds between Lily and her adorable pen pal (clearly it's a guy) is so fun and heartwarming to watch. I mean, they made me laugh and swoon and even while it was a bit predictable, I didn't mind one bit. This book has romantic comedy written all over it. But even more than that, I just loved the characters and how well-rounded the story was. It's not just romance. It's about the craziness of belonging to a huge family (how I related!), opening up to someone unexpected and taking a risk to follow a dream. 

Do I recommend? I do! I definitely plan to buy this book for my shelves.