Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 310

Review: SOCIALLY AWKWARD by Stephanie Haddad

Oliva is a model and actress, an army brat that’s traveled everywhere, never feeling like she belonged. Thanks to social media, she has many cyber friends.


In reality, she’s Jennifer Smith, a normal, boring, fat girl.


It all started with a sociology project and how the term “friend” has redefined online communication. She discovers that there is a correlation between perception and falsehood on the internet. An improved image plan by her doctor seems next to impossible, unless it can be created in the virtual world. Ah, an idea! And that’s when Olivia—the perfect model/actress—was born.


Soon, Jen realized that looks seem to factor greatly in the friend requests. Things take an interesting turn when an old crush sends a friend request to Olivia. Soon, Olivia’s “friends” become a tangled mess with an old crush, a hot trainer, and her sister’s gigolo. Suddenly, she’s leading a double life. We have a crush that thinks her sister is Olivia and a scheme to get “Olivia” to break up with him so Jen could have a shot. It’s a wonderfully wacky mess!


“It was nice of him to make me feel included in his virtual relationship with my fake self.” (131)


Right away, I could relate to Jen’s nerdy, self-deprecating demeanor. Her journey was fascinating in how she learns to accept herself and realize that she too is worthy.


Witty and smart! A humorous tale of internet fraud and sisterly betrayal.


My rating: 4 stars

Review: LOVE UNLISTED by Stephanie Haddad

Grace is a woman that loves her lists. In fact, she makes a pro/con list for all her dates. Her current boyfriend, Mark, was certainly annoying with all his cons (picking on her eating habits, dressing better than her, patronizing tone, and bad in bed.) Things take a turn when Grace rejects Mark’s impromptu commitment. Who puts a key in a ring box?


Grace was a frequent dumper, even though she doesn’t mean to be. She doesn’t want to find somebody.


“I need personality and passion; someone who’ll take risks without being risky; someone who’s confident without being cocky; someone who won’t try to ‘fix me” (5)


Grace has been meaning to take a break from her lists, but she just can’t seem to let them go. Very neurotic. Making a list for everything is importantly, especially when choosing the ideal boyfriend/future husband/potential father of my three hypothetical children. Was it so hard to meet a man with at least 20 pros on his list?


I related to Grace and her unorthodox dating method. But she soon realizes that not everything goes according to plan, which is where Colin gets thrown into the mix. Colin was every con on her list, but, yet, she felt a certain attraction that she couldn’t explain. She loses control around Colin and she hated it.


Witty, frank, and light-hearted! Story is full of Grace’s disasters. I enjoyed it very much, even though it could’ve used a little more proofreading.


My rating: 4 stars

Review: FROM RUNWAY TO LOVE by Melissa Baldwin

"The past year has been a rollercoaster of emotion, and I've reached a point now where I know without a shadow of a doubt it's time to get off this crazy ride." (6)


Olivia is a washed-up supermodel looking to get back on track. Written in diary format, Olivia relays the troubles and challenges of starting over. And, somehow, traversing through the hurdles of the runway leads her to an unexpected love.


Story had some witty banter and an easy-going plot. A little slow at times, but the story was, overall, okay. At times, you can get a little lost with the number of characters in the book, but I'd say this is a classic women's fiction.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: PIX OF YOU AND ME by George Kayde

Brittney is a fashion model, who believes that there is much more to her than just a pretty photo on Instagram—she had a brain and used it. “Go take pretty pics, it’s what you’re good at.” Wanting something more out of life, she quits modeling.


No one wanted to know the real Brittney, so she decides to pursue a degree in Business. But when her mom gets into a car accident, Brittney is given the chance to prove her business skills by running the art gallery, where Guy, a struggling art photographer, wants to showcase his work. That might be pretty tough considering Brittney now hates photographers (coming out of modeling and all.) Needless to say, the two had to work together, often clashing with one another. You’d think the clashing would be interesting reading, but it was too watered down. In fact, story started lagging about ¼ of the way. All in all, this was a mediocre read.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: 10 YEARS LATER by J. Sterling

Cammie’s 10-year high school reunion is coming up. Although she’s looking forward to seeing all her old classmates again, she can’t help but wonder about Dalton, her first crush and biggest love—one she hasn’t seen since graduation.


Dalton is an undercover cop that still thought about Cammie, often listening to her on the radio. When he finds out that she will be at the reunion, he aims to find out what he did that was so wrong all those years ago. But, most importantly, he vows to get Cammie back.


As the reunion approaches, the two reminisce on the tender moments from high school, realizing that they never had any closure, which was probably why they thought of each other so much. Maybe we could find out what happened once and for all.


Cammie and Dalton are the “Ross and Rachel” couple you root for no matter how much time has passed. Readers felt Cammie’s fear when she didn’t hear from Dalton, and you can understand her reluctance to get involved with him.


Sweet, endearing, and enjoyable! Full of honesty and hope.


My rating: 4 stars

Review: FIVE MINUTES LATE by Rich Amooi

Ellie is a librarian looking for a promotion; Cedric wants to preserve his grandfather’s old garlic farm. The only way Ellie will get that management position would be for her to raise more money in the library fund raiser.

Meanwhile, the dating well is pretty dry for the two. But, at least, Ellie is trying to seek out Mr. Right through online dating, even if a lot of them are very, VERY wrong. Readers, however, will definitely get a kick out of them though. Date#1: Her date named Dick said his father was also a Dick and took her to Hooters, making it a night with Dick and Hooters. Ha, ha!


Right after her first disastrous date, Ellie saves a handsome Cedric, who was running five minutes late, after he is nearly blindsided by a UPS truck while crossing a street.


The two are adorable around each other—fumbling with their words and awkwardness at the instant attraction. Of course, since each has prior trauma with love lost, the two deny their feelings and avoid getting too close to each other. Meanwhile, Ellie continues the online dating, which, like I said, are a hoot!


Date# 2: A cowboy that talks about lady parts. Ewe! I swear this boy needed to heed the advice of his mama. “[My mama] taught me it’s better to keep my mouth shut and look stupid than to open it and prove it.” (48)


Date#3: A priest wanting to make sure your hymen was intact. That’s it, brother!


The two characters had that snappy, fast-talking pizzazz, which made them all the more compatible. Readers will enjoy the fun chemistry between them. But will Ellie’s theory on tardiness be the thing that stands in their way? For Ellie, her number one rule was that her guy must be punctual. If any of her dates were five minutes late, they were out of the running. Obviously, this was a tad too strict. But, in the end, Ellie learns the Power of Five Minutes Late—how they can take the people you love, how they can save your life, and how they can be the best thing that ever happened to you. Because if it wasn’t for Cedric being five minutes late to his meeting that night, he never would’ve met Ellie.


Witty, well-written, and funny! A fun romantic comedy! Loved it!


My rating: 5 stars

Review: KISSING FROGS by Rich Amooi

Sara needs a wedding date, so she spends her time on the internet dating scene “kissing frogs.” This seemed very similar to Ellie’s experience in Five Minutes Late with the disastrous blind dates. Although some dates were enjoyable, they weren’t as ridiculously funny as Ellie’s dates.

So, anyway, Sara is “dating” and can’t seem to ignore the noise from her sexy new neighbor. What could he be doing in there? But there’s something about Ian that’s so nice, especially when he saves her from one of her dates.

There’s instant chemistry between the two, and the love story played out in the same old pattern. This was an okay story, but it didn’t impress me as much as the first book.


My rating: 3 stars

Review:DATE WITH A GHOST IN COLORADO by Darcy Troy

Samantha Torres is meeting Warren for their 3rd date. Once he arrives, she notices how quiet and withdrawn he seems. Then she gets a call from a sheriff, letting her know that Warren was killed that night. What?! So now she’s talking to his ghost.

After some getting used to, Sam realizes how easy it is to talk to Warren’s ghost, especially since he doesn’t talk. But then she starts to believe that he’s carrying secrets. Could it be possible that his death wasn’t an accident? Could the stripper have anything to do with it?
At first, I thought this little mystery was crafty and clever, until it didn’t start to feel like a mystery anymore. When Sam got derailed from Warren’s death and started hanging out with the stripper and her friend, story started taking on a whole new meaning. It was starting to feel more like a ghost love story or a girls gone wild tale.
When I was about half way through the book and there was still no progress, I started wondering why I was even continuing. I mean, why can Sam even see ghosts in the first place? It didn’t make sense.
This book had a promising start, but it just fell through on expectations.

My rating: 2 stars

Review: PRIVATE ACTS by Delaney Diamond

Part of the Latin Lover series, story focuses on the hot, sultry affair in Ecuador. Miguel is a visiting art sculptor and Samirah is an out-of-work housemaid/cook on a temporary visa. They both promised that this would be a fling, something fun while she was in town.


Samirah doesn’t want to get involved, not since her last humiliating affair with her boss. So what if Miguel was only the hottest Latino she’d ever laid eyes on?


The chemistry between the two was sizzling. I loved how Samirah described herself as a “citizen of the world” because of all her travels. How awesome is that?


Well-written, quick, and enticing!


My rating: 4 stars

Review: THIS TIME NEXT DOOR by Gretchen Galway

How broke would you need to be to try out for a modeling gig? Well, as long as I'm not getting naked, I wouldn't mind at all. But it's pretty sad when you're trying out for a plus-sized model and they tell you you're too fat for it. What!?

Rose is 200 pounds, unemployed, and barely has a roof over her head (she's staying at a fancy home in Oakland rent-free because her roommate got herself knocked up.) She lives next door to Mark, a computer whiz-geek that doesn't get out much. At first, the two clash, but they seem to mellow out when she suspects that he has a crush on her prettier, thinner (yes, even pregnant, she's still thinner than Rose) roommate and he thinks she might be a lesbian. Funny!
Mark is a little shy, but he's so adorable, even though he gets a little creepy obsessing over Rose's large, voluptuous breasts--an element that works in favor of fat women. Rose is a sassy, outspoken, and abrasive broad. The two make a fantastic pair, a dynamic duo. I like that they help each other out.
Along with a cast of zany characters, the story dives into a strange and messy love triangle (or square). You see, Blair is the roommate that got knocked up by Rose's ex, whose mother owns the house they live in. ??? Although wildly convoluted, story is a tantalizing recipe of unconventional chaos.
For Rose, being so big has never stopped the men wanting her for sex; they just would rather not be seen with her. That's sort of flattering and sad. 
A comical and romantic tale of Fatso and the Geek. It'll prove that shy nerds can rock your world like no other. You want to see how this sweet story unfolds for luckless Rose.
My rating: 4 stars