July is dressed up and playing her tune: THE UNEXPECTED EVERYTHING.

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Andie has her whole life planned out when it's derailed by an investigation into her Congressman father. When scandal hits her dad and his campaign, her hard won internship is lost, and she winds up with a job walking dogs for the summer. While doing so, she meets Clark, a handsome young author. But falling for Clark, spending time with her father, and enjoying a carefree job requires Andie to reach deep and get past her fears of being hurt in relationships and left behind--something she's dealt with since her mother passed away and her father focused fully on his job. Opening up to something real and true isn't easy.

This was a surprisingly emotional YA read, filled with nuanced characters and plenty of teen drama. Andie could certainly be frustrating. Even though we know she is this way because of her mom's death and her father's career, I still wanted to shake her sometimes. She could make some terrible decisions! But, it's nice to see a realistic teen character with some depth. I also enjoyed that this was a teen book that featured parties and teen antics, but didn't focus solely on drinking, sex, and drugs. A bit refreshing. Though I was surprised Andie's dad was okay with his high school daughter dating a nineteen-year-old!

I enjoyed Andie's interactions with her father, even though his changing emotions seemed a bit improbable at times. The book focuses on family and friendships, with a lot of time spent on Andie's friend group. Much of their story is told via text message, as well as narrative. I preferred reading about Andie's relationships with Clark and her father. This is a very long book, and it was the teen drama with her friends that made it feel so lengthy.

The dog walking angle is cute and funny (Bertie the dog may be the true hero of the story), and Clark's fantasy writing adds a different touch. There's a lot going on in EVERYTHING, but I enjoyed its message about living life to the fullest and insights into friendship, loss, and grief. 3.75 stars, rounded up.

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S, A to Z Challenge: SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE.

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fun, summery YA read

This is the nineteenth book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!

When Emily's best friend Sloane disappears, right on the cusp of the epic summer they have planned, she feels adrift. Sloane is outgoing while Emily is shy, and she doesn't know what to do without her friend. But then a letter arrives from Sloane, with a list of things Emily should do over the summer, such as "kiss a stranger," "dance until dawn," "hug a Jamie," and more. Very little on the list are things Emily feels comfortable with--they are more Sloane-esque--but she embarks on them anyway, hoping they will bring her friend back. Soon she has the unexpected help of Frank Porter, an upstanding fellow classmate and not normally a friend of hers, and her summer is off to an interesting start.

This is a fun and fluffy book, with a small but lovable cast of characters. I really liked Emily and adored Frank. I especially identified with Emily due to her shyness and her intense dislike of horses. Somehow the crossing items off a list concept was fresh and intriguing here. It's a very summery book, filled with all those fun summery things: ice cream, road trips, pizza parlors, falling in love, and more.

It is a little concerning that no one seems to worry that Sloane and her family has been kidnapped, when she just disappears, but maybe kidnapped people don't have access to stamps?

Overall, this is a sweet book focused on teen friendship. It's cute and romantic and will make you long for warm summer nights and falling in love for the first time.

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You can read more about the #atozchallenge here.

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