Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I Wanted to See More

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hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's Ten:

Top Ten Books I Wish Had (More/Less) X In Them
More of a Character or Interactions Between Specific Characters

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

(Beau and Haven)

review // Goodreads

Been Here All Along by Sandy Hall

(Gideon and Kyle)

(also: Ruby)

review // Goodreads 

Better Than Perfect by Melissa Kantor

(Declan or maybe Declan and Juliet)

review // Goodreads

Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday

(the assistants)

review // Goodreads

Unmarked (The Legion #2) by Kami Garcia

(Lukas and Jared)

review // Goodreads

The Heir & The Spare by Emily Albright

(Preston)

review // Goodreads

The Book of Dares for Lost Friends by Jane Kelley

(Tasman)

review // Goodreads

and I wish for more of these characters in any/every book ever but these were the books they were in:

Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna & the French Kiss) by Stephanie Perkins

(Lola and Cricket)

review // Goodreads

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

(London and Luke)

review // Goodreads

The Program (#1) by Suzanne Young

(Sloane and James)

review // Goodreads

Please leave a comment and let me know what books you wish had more a certain element or certain character(s)!

Been Here All Along ~ Sandy Hall (earc) review [@iamsandyhall @SwoonReads]

Been Here All Along
Swoon Reads
August 30, 2016
240 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

Gideon always has a plan. His plans include running for class president, becoming head of the yearbook committee, and having his choice of colleges. They do NOT include falling head over heels for his best friend and next door neighbor, Kyle. It’s a distraction. It’s pointless, as Kyle is already dating the gorgeous and popular head cheerleader, Ruby. And Gideon doesn’t know what to do.

Kyle finally feels like he has a handle on life. He has a wonderful girlfriend, a best friend willing to debate the finer points of Lord of the Rings, and social acceptance as captain of the basketball team. Then, both Ruby and Gideon start acting really weird, just as his spot on the team is threatened, and Kyle can’t quite figure out what he did wrong…

This review may contain some spoilers . . . 

If it's possible for a book - and it's characters to be too nice then that's what happened with Been here All Along. Everyone's too nice and too accepting. I don't even mean when it comes to other characters' sexuality, That worked fine and was a nice change of pace from all of the drama that can (also realistically) be present in other novels.

It was more that everything I anticipated would throw a character off balance, that would freak them out or cause some sort of turmoil . . . didn't. Or if there was an sense of upheaval, it was minimal and/or short lived.

Like with Gideon and Kyle. They've been best friends for twelve years but Gideon realizes how he now feels about Kyle and seems rather quickly completely alright with it. Not even factoring in that they're both male, I thought the 'best friends for twelve years' part plus the new 'in love with him' part would have been cause for a bit of freaking out. Or more of it.

Gideon and Kyle were very cute together and I liked seeing the progression of their relationship and the different ways they were. I think I wish there were more scenes between but it may really have been that the ones there were all so even and sweet and kind and okay that I really wanted the emotion - of whatever kind - kicked up a bit.

Ruby was one of those secondary characters that I wish we were going to see more of. She seemed to have the most thrown at her and was the one not quite ready to be accepting and okay with it. (Quite understandably.) I liked her and still want to know what the future holds for her.

This is a sweet, cute story and the accepting characters and actions were a, usually, nice change of pace but a bit more conflict or uncertainty would have made for a more enjoyable, memorable read.







received from publisher for review, via NetGalley

Signs Point to Yes ~ Sandy Hall (earc) review [@iamsandyhall @SwoonReads]

Signs Point to Yes
Swoon Reads
October 20, 2015
288 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

The author of A Little Something Different brings you the most adorkable romance ever.

Jane, a superstitious fangirl, takes an anonymous babysitting job to avoid an unpaid internship with her college-obsessed mom. The only problem? She’s babysitting the siblings of her childhood friend and new crush, Teo.

Teo doesn’t dislike Jane, but his best friend Ravi hates her, and is determined to keep them apart. So Teo’s pretty sure his plans for a peaceful summer are shot. His only hope is that his intermittent search for his birth father will finally pan out and he’ll find a new, less awkward home. Meanwhile, at Jane’s house, her sister Margo wants to come out as bisexual, but she’s terrified of how her parents will react.

In a summer filled with secrets and questions, even Jane’s Magic 8 ball can’t give them clear answers, but Signs Point to Yes.

I have been pleasantly surprised by the Swoon Reads books I have read so far. I don't know if I've been expecting them to be lighter and fluffier because of the imprint name, or what, but . . . Signs Point to Yes has more depth, though, and a real richness to its characters and their lives.

Jane is a fangirl - she reads writes fan fiction, has a Doctor Who poster and gets distracted by Veronica mars. Well, okay, she gets distracted by a lot. Especially, if it means avoiding her mother's constant questions about college, applications and what Jane wants to do with her life.

The babysitting job is supposed to get her mom off her back - and keep her mom-free for the summer. Except, that it is a job babysitting Teo's little sisters. She and Teo sort of used to be friends, but then they got older, Teo's best friend actively hates her and they no longer speak.

It would all be so much easier if Teo weren't so good looking and if babysitting at his house didn't mean so much time around Ravi, his best friend.

I loved Jane and Teo's relationship. That they were acquainted with each other and, even, knew things about each other's pasts but weren't close now. It made their awkwardness around each other all that much better - and adorable.

The characters' different motivations for things, their secrets and how they are with each other was great. They are not these perfect, suave characters, never putting a foot wrong. Even when their intentions were good, they messed up. Or, when nothing bad had actually happened, they thought they had messed up.

It wasn't limited to Teo and Jane, either - though I loved how they were together: sweet, cute, awkward, unsure, but oh so great. Jane's sister Margo has her own quirks (probably don't get in a car with her), her own secrets but wants to be there for her sister. There was even some story to Ravi, Teo's best friend's,  hatred of Jane.

I really loved how these characters lives and their stories intersected and impacted each other to form Signs Point to Yes. You don't need to consult your Magic 8 Ball to know that It Is Decidedly So that you will enjoy Signs Point to Yes.










thank you to the publisher for my earc to review, through NetGalley