The Girls by Emma Cline | Rating: ★★★★★

That was our mistake, I think. One of many mistakes. To believe that boys were acting with a logic that we could someday understand. To believe that their actions had any meaning beyond thoughtless impulse. We were like conspiracy theorists, seeing portent and intention in every detail, wishing desperately that we mattered enough to be the object of planning and speculation. But they were just boys. Silly and young and straightforward; they weren't hiding anything.

You know that feeling when you've read a book and you're completely engulfed in it, you don't notice the passage of time? There could be a literal storm pouring outside and you would barely notice it, because you couldn't stop flipping the pages. Someone could walk past you, playing the theme to Star Wars on a tuba, while wearing a tie-dyed gnome costume with reindeer antlers firmly on their head and you wouldn't have the slightest idea because, holy shit, I can't put this book down!? I know you guys know what I'm talking about and The Girls is that book for me.

Impossible to put down. Excellent pace. Phenomenal writing. Complex characters. Thrills. Quotable to the highest degree. A quality I noticed about The Girls right away was that it was otherworldly. It takes your breath away. Something about it causes your heart to speed up and down and go all over the place in the most deliciously maddening of ways. It can chill you to the bone just as much as it could warm you up. The Girls is haunting, it is everything. It is familiar and incredibly put together.

City Love by Susane Colasanti | Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5)

"...the present will become powerful enough to erase the past."

GUYS! Guys, guys, guys! I have news! Incredible news just in time for the warmer weather.

You know that perfectly engaging, girl power infused, lovely and overall quotable contemporary romance novel you've been waiting for? It's here! Or, well, will be on April 21st. But what makes it that way? Aside from the super adorable, warm fuzzies inducing promotion that's been going on for it, City Love is filled with characters you will connect to, fall in love with and just want to protect. I honestly would love to be friends with our three leading ladies. And who wouldn't want to be? The positive vibes and girl power that brings the three of them together is strong.

Pair that with budding romance and friendships, set in New York City in the summertime, I don't need to tell you just how fun this novel is. You already know. It's completely adorable and was an absolute delight to read. You know those fluffy novels you can relax with and don't want to move until you are finished? That's exactly what City Love is. I could not put it down. And let me just start by saying this: I cannot wait for the remaining books in this trilogy -- seriously, can I have them now or?

It ended way sooner than I wanted it to; then again I could probably read dozens of books about these characters. I needed more as soon as I finished, let's talk about that cliffhanger. Swoons. I fell hard and fast for each girl, for each love interest, and you will too.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins | Rating: ★★★★★

He couldn't bring the girl with him, so he brought the stars. When he'd look out his window at night, he would start with one. One star. And the boy would make a wish on it, and the wish would be her name.
At the sound of her name, a second star would appear. And then he'd wish her name again, and the stars would double into four. And four became eight, and eight became sixteen, and so on, in the greatest mathematical equation the universe had ever seen. And by the time an hour had passed, the sky would be filled with so many stars that it would wake the neighbors. People wondered who'd turned on the floodlights.
The boy did. By thinking about the girl.

If you're looking for the next sweet, perfect for sunshine, tale of first loves rekindled and something to follow up Anna and the French Kiss with, I have some good news for you! Lola an the Boy Next Door is immensely charming and definitely the perfect followup to the incredibly popular first installment to this series. It has all the wonderful qualities Anna had and we're fortunate enough to have a glimpse or two of Anna and St. Clair; though the sequel doesn't follow them exclusively we get to see the two lovebirds frequently in Lola's story.

Lola's life is interesting and quite fun to read about: her birth mother is a mess, her two fathers are overly strict (sometimes, rightfully so!) and her boyfriend is far too old for her. Seriously girl, he's too old for you right now. Luckily for us readers, she has that something -- that sparkle, that makes you love her instantly. She's very stylish and creative in her own unique way. It's easy to see yourself or someone you know in Lola because she is special and fun and the perfect narrator.