Ash Reads Stuff

Who I am With You by Robin Lee Hatcher Publication Date:  December 11th, 2018 Pages:   318 (kindle) Genre: Christian Fiction My Goodreads Rating:  4 stars Goodreads Synopsis: For these two broken hearts, the first step toward love will be a huge leap of faith. Jessica Mason isn’t looking for love when she meets Ridley Chesterfield. Instead she is still reeling from the tragic, unexpected loss of her husband and daughter—and awaiting the arrival of her unborn child. Harboring the secret of her husband’s betrayal, her pain is deeper than anyone knows. Ridley Chesterfield is hiding out in Hope Springs, Idaho, avoiding a political scandal and the barrage of false media headlines that have tarnished his good name. The last thing Ridley wants is a relationship—but when fate leads Ridley to form a friendship with his reclusive and pregnant neighbor, he wonders if this small-town hideout might be more of a long-term destination. When Jessica begins to read her gre...

Intercepted by Alexa Martin Publication Date: September 4, 2018 Pages: 320 (kindle) Genre: Contemporary Romance My Goodreads Rating: 4 stars Goodreads Synopsis: Marlee thought she scored with the man of her dreams only to be scorched by a bad breakup. Now there's a new player on the horizon and he's in a whole league of his own... Marlee Harper is the perfect girlfriend. She's sure had enough practice, dating her NFL-star boyfriend for the last ten years. But when she discovers her wide-receiver boyfriend has been tackling other women on the sly, she vows to never date an athlete again. Only one problem: Gavin Pope, the new hotshot quarterback and a fling from the past, has Marlee in his sights. Gavin fights to show Marlee he's nothing like her ex and what a future can be like for them. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to let her escape her past. Gavin's teammates' wives, who never led the welcome wagon, are not happy with her return, a...

Ghosted by Rosie Walsh  Publication Date: July 24, 2018 Pages:  352 (hardcover) Genre: Contemporary My Goodreads Rating:  4 stars Synopsis:  Seven perfect days. Then he disappeared. A love story with a secret at its heart. When Sarah meets Eddie, they connect instantly and fall in love. To Sarah, it seems as though her life has finally begun. And it's mutual: It's as though Eddie has been waiting for her, too. Sarah has never been so certain of anything. So when Eddie leaves for a long-booked vacation and promises to call from the airport, she has no cause to doubt him. But he doesn't call. Sarah's friends tell her to forget about him, but she can't. She knows something's happened--there must be an explanation. Minutes, days, weeks go by as Sarah becomes increasingly worried. But then she discovers she's right. There is a reason for Eddie's disappearance, and it's the one thing they didn't share with each other: ...

Top Ten by Katie Cotugno Publication Date: October 3rd, 2017 Pages: 320 (Hardcover) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating: 3.5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Ryan McCullough and Gabby Hart are the unlikeliest of friends. Introverted, anxious Gabby would rather do literally anything than go to a party. Ryan is a star hockey player who can get any girl he wants—and does, frequently. But against all odds, they became not only friends, but each other’s favorite person. Now, as they face high school graduation, they can’t help but take a moment to reminisce and, in their signature tradition, make a top ten list—counting down the top ten moments of their friendship: 10. Where to begin? Maybe the night we met. 9. Then there was our awkward phase. 8. When you were in love with me but never told me… 7. Those five months we stopped talking were the hardest of my life. 6. Through terrible fights… 5. And emotional makeups. 4. You were there for me when I got my heart broken. 3. …but a...

Kissing Max Holden  by Katy Upperman Publication Date: August 1, 2017 Pages: 336 (kindle) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating:  5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis:  “Jilly. . . if you tell me to go home, I will.” After his father has a life-altering stroke, Max Holden isn't himself. His long-time friend Jillian Eldridge only wants to help him, but she doesn't know how. So when he climbs through her window one night, she knows that she shouldn't let him kiss her. But she does. When they're caught in the act by her dad, she swears it'll never happen again. Because kissing Max Holden is a terrible idea. With a new baby sibling on the way, and her parents fighting all the time, Jillian spends more and more time with Max. And not kissing Max is easier said than done, even though she knows he still has a girlfriend. Will Jill follow her heart, and allow their kisses to blossom into something more, or will she listen to her head and stop kissing Max Holden ...

A Million Junes  by Emily Henry Publication Date: May 16th, 2017 Pages: 350 (hardcover) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating:  5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: For as long as Jack “June” O’Donnell has been alive, her parents have had only one rule: stay away from the Angert family. But when June collides—quite literally—with Saul Angert, sparks fly, and everything June has known is thrown into chaos. Who exactly is this gruff, sarcastic, but seemingly harmless boy who has returned to their hometown of Five Fingers, Michigan, after three mysterious years away? And why has June—an O’Donnell to her core—never questioned her late father’s deep hatred of the Angert family? After all, the O’Donnells and the Angerts may have mythic legacies, but for all the tall tales they weave, both founding families are tight-lipped about what caused the century-old rift between them. As Saul and June’s connection grows deeper, they find that the magic, ghosts, and coywolves of Five Fin...

The Year We Fell Down  by Sarina Bowen Publication Date: March 20th, 2014 Pages:  270 (kindle) Genre:  New Adult My Goodreads Rating:  4 stars Goodreads Synopsis:  The sport she loves is out of reach. The boy she loves has someone else. What now? She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead. Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He’s way out of Corey’s league. Also, he’s taken. Nevertheless, an unlikely alliance blooms between Corey and Hartley in the “gimp ghetto” of McHerrin Hall. Over tequila, perilously balanced dining hall trays, and video games, the two cope with disappointments that nobody else understands. They’re just friends, of course, until...

Meet Me Halfway  by Kim Carmody Publication Date: December 6, 2016 Genre:  Contemporary Romance My Goodreads Rating:  3.5 stars NetGalley Summary: An ambitious journalist on a fast track to success. A first round draft pick determined to keep his personal life his own. And a story that proves sometimes opposites really do attract. Olivia Callahan is a woman on a mission. Her boss has given her the green light to produce her very own documentary, and she’s not going to let anything get in the way of perfection. After a few setbacks in college, Nate Sullivan is finally on his way to the big leagues as the newest recruit for the New York Warriors. Determined to put his somewhat colorful past behind him, Nate’s all about the straight and narrow as he sets out to prove he’s worthy of his first round draft pick. The last thing Nate wants is to delve into stories from his past. But when his new team directs him to set the record straight, he has no choice but t...

Been Here All Along by Sandy Hall Publication Date: August 30, 2016 Pages: 224 (kindle) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating: 3.5 Stars NetGalley Synopsis: Gideon always has a plan. It includes running for class president, becoming head of the yearbook committee, and having his choice of colleges. It does NOT include falling head over heels for his best friend, Kyle. It’s a distraction, it’s pointless—Kyle is already dating the 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. So when both Ruby and Gideon start acting really weird, just as his spot on the team is threatened, Kyle can’t quite figure out what he did wrong. Sandy Hall, the author of A Little Something Different , is back with her signature wit in this quirky and heartfelt LGBT YA novel. ...

Just One of Those Things  by Mindy Klasky Publication Date:  February 9, 2016 Pages:  330 (ebook) Genre: Fiction/Romance My Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Matt Dawson has returned to Harmony Springs after ten years of pitching in the major leagues. His father thinks he’s a screw-up who should have joined the Army instead of playing ball. His old buddies think he’s a hero with a bottomless bank account. But Matt knows he’ll never be a hero, not like his brother Jon, who recently died in Afghanistan. Emily Barton once dated Jon but their break-up was brutal, made even worse when Matt tried to intervene. Years later, Emily remains trapped on an emotional treadmill, regularly changing her apartment, her job, and her boyfriend in a futile attempt to regain her earlier success. Determined to give back to Harmony Springs, Matt opens an American Discount thrift store. But Emily recognizes a threat to the downtown shopping district and she organiz...

Act Like It  by Lucy Parker Publication Date:  November 30th, 2015 Pages: 199 (kindle) Genre: Contemporary Adult/Romance My Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars Goodreads Synopsis :  This just in: romance takes center stage as West End theatre's Richard Troy steps out with none other than castmate Elaine Graham. Richard Troy used to be the hottest actor in London, but the only thing firing up lately is his temper. We all love to love a bad boy, but Richard's antics have made him Enemy Number One, breaking the hearts of fans across the city. Have the tides turned? Has English rose Lainie Graham made him into a new man? Sources say the mismatched pair has been spotted at multiple events, arm in arm and hip to hip. From fits of jealousy to longing looks and heated whispers, onlookers are stunned by this blooming romance. Could the rumors be right? Could this unlikely romance be the real thing? Or are these gifted stage actors playing us all? My Review:  As ...

The Way Back to You  by Michelle Andreani & Mindi Scott Publication Date: May 3, 2016 Pages: 384 (kindle) Genre: Young Adult  My Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: In this witty, heart-tugging novel, two teens take a spontaneous road trip across the Southwest to meet three strangers who received the life-saving organs of their late best friend—charting a journey of loss, hope, and love along the way. Six months ago, Ashlyn Montiel died in a bike accident. Her best friend Cloudy is keeping it together, at least on the outside. Cloudy’s insides are a different story: tangled, confused, heartbroken. Kyle is falling apart, and everyone can tell. Ashlyn was his girlfriend, and when she died, a part of him went with her. Maybe the only part he cares about anymore. As the two people who loved Ashlyn best, Cloudy and Kyle should be able to lean on each other. But after a terrible mistake last year, they're barely speaking. So when Cloudy discovers th...

To All the Boys I've Loved Before  by Jenny Han Publication Date: 2014 Pages: 355 (Hardcover)  Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars Goodreads Synopsis:  Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her, these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control. My Review:   I don't really know why I put off reading this one for as long as I did. I'd seen people reading and liking it, and then my sister read it and liked it so I thought I'd give it a chance. (She and I have very different taste in books, by the way.)  I pretty much devoured this book on ...