Review: How To Hook a Bookworm by Cassie Mae

From Goodreads:
Getting kissed for a birthday present should not be a big deal. Especially for Brea Mason, who doesn’t think of her best friend, Adam Silver, in any way other than… well, a friend. But after the liplock she can’t seem to get him off her mind. And she has to, because Adam is a senior while she’s stuck in high school for another two years. 

Then BAM, the perfect distraction comes along in the form of a new, hot sophomore who actually seems interested in Brea, despite her anti-social personality. And with the stress at home, stress at school, and ignoring the reality of all her friends leaving come June, Brea welcomes the distraction.

But when she sees four fat Fs on her report card, Brea needs a study buddy, and the best candidate is Adam, book nerd and math whiz. So she enlists his help, hoping the birthday kiss was just a fluke. After all, she has a boyfriend now. It should be easy to ignore the butterflies and fizzy feelings that arise with the bookworm… right?


My Thoughts:
With my kid doing swimming lessons, I have a whole half hour each day to just read! This is so fabulous because I'm chugging through my reading list like never before. This one wasn't one of the fie books I made as a goal for my "summer reading" but having read and enjoyed the first two books, I couldn't resist the pull to slot it in.
So...
Book #3 in this series did't disappoint. Following Levi's younger sister, Brea, (Levi was Zoe's best friend in book #1, and Zoe's sister's love interest in book #2) we see a girl who doesn't think she's worth much due to the rough circumstances of her life. But Adam, her best friend, sees her differently, and when he gives her her first kiss on her birthday, things really start to change between them.
This book deals with more "heavy" issues than the first two books. Brea's life is pretty rough, and things happen to show hers and her family's desperation. She's struggling all around, but refuses to seek help. The only person she feels safe to turn to is Adam.
This story is definitely more about Brea overcoming her personal "demons" with a sweet romance developing on the side.
The thing that prevented me from loving it as much as the first two books is I feel like I'm getting filled in on the what-happened-then aspect of Zoe's life. Not that I didn't thoroughly enjoy Zoe's story, but it felt weird and like a sidetrack from Brea's development.
All up, another enjoyable and fun read from Cassie Mae.