TTYL by Bethany Lopez
(Stories About Melissa #4)
Release Date: 11.12.13
Summary from Goodreads:
The last few months have been a rough road for Melissa. Her grades have
slipped, her parents treat her like a prisoner, and her closest friends are too
involved in their own lives to spend time with her. Desperate to escape her
depressing funk, she starts spending more time with Layla, who introduces her
to a new crowd...the wrong crowd. When Melissa starts to go down a dangerous
path, can anyone get through to her before she does something she'll regret?
Purchase:
Review: When I was first offered to read and review this book as part of the blog tour, I was thrilled. (and when I say offered, I mean I was sent an email to sign up and did so, and they very graciously accepted me on the tour.) I was very excited! And then I remembered that this was book four in its series...and I had yet to read a single one of the books. Oh no! Luckily, they were super awesome and made sure I got ahold of the first three books as well. The first book, Ta Ta For Now, is free everywhere right now, and everyone should definitely consider picking it up! I was a little worried about perhaps not liking it, and struggling to get to the fourth book, but that did not happen. I am so very happy that I signed up and read through the series.
If I am being honest, when I started book one I was a little unsure. I have not done much reading like these books are done, where it is all in the form of journal entries in the main characters personal journal. Along with that, Melissa (the main character) was only fourteen at the start of the first book. That is younger than I usually prefer in my novels. However, I refused to be negative and really wanted to give this series a chance, and boy am I glad that I did. The journal entries really grow on you, and the format stays this way throughout the entirety of the novel, which I think makes sense and is wonderful. I think once I was attached to reading Melissa's journal, it would have been a little weird not to do so anymore.
Melissa is a very relate able character. Sure, she was fourteen as the story began, but she got older as they progressed (naturally). Each book, more of less, takes place over a semester of a high school year, so by the time you finish book four they are about to finish up their sophomore year. This means that Melissa is well on her way to turning sixteen in the summer, and then she will be the average age of the characters I usually read about. I really, really enjoyed watching her grow through her journal entries, and it was quite obvious that she did.
This book, more specifically, focuses on the end of their sophomore year. In the previous semester and book, they have just suffered the loss of a friend, and they are all trying to come to terms with it and move on. Having been struggling between her current boyfriend, Brian and her best friend who she has feelings for, Jimmy, she decides to be single for a little while (though it doesn't always seem by choice). Instead, she ends up meeting a new guy, hanging out with new people, and making poor decisions that seem so un-Melissa like. It makes her seem just like your average, confused teenager, in fact! I liked getting to see this side of Melissa; see her make mistakes a lot of people make, and then doing her best to pick up the pieces and move on.
The thing that really sold me on the books; however, are the characters. Not just Melissa, but her parents and her siblings (all four of them, yikes!), her ex Brian, her best friends Jimmy and Jess, and so many more than pop up throughout the stories. They all seemed so real, and I absolutely loved that. The books are funny and charming, but also serve to tell good life lessons. I would certainly recommend these books to anyone. Keep an eye out for my reviews of the other three books coming to the blog very soon!
Rating: 4.0/5.0
If I am being honest, when I started book one I was a little unsure. I have not done much reading like these books are done, where it is all in the form of journal entries in the main characters personal journal. Along with that, Melissa (the main character) was only fourteen at the start of the first book. That is younger than I usually prefer in my novels. However, I refused to be negative and really wanted to give this series a chance, and boy am I glad that I did. The journal entries really grow on you, and the format stays this way throughout the entirety of the novel, which I think makes sense and is wonderful. I think once I was attached to reading Melissa's journal, it would have been a little weird not to do so anymore.
Melissa is a very relate able character. Sure, she was fourteen as the story began, but she got older as they progressed (naturally). Each book, more of less, takes place over a semester of a high school year, so by the time you finish book four they are about to finish up their sophomore year. This means that Melissa is well on her way to turning sixteen in the summer, and then she will be the average age of the characters I usually read about. I really, really enjoyed watching her grow through her journal entries, and it was quite obvious that she did.
This book, more specifically, focuses on the end of their sophomore year. In the previous semester and book, they have just suffered the loss of a friend, and they are all trying to come to terms with it and move on. Having been struggling between her current boyfriend, Brian and her best friend who she has feelings for, Jimmy, she decides to be single for a little while (though it doesn't always seem by choice). Instead, she ends up meeting a new guy, hanging out with new people, and making poor decisions that seem so un-Melissa like. It makes her seem just like your average, confused teenager, in fact! I liked getting to see this side of Melissa; see her make mistakes a lot of people make, and then doing her best to pick up the pieces and move on.
The thing that really sold me on the books; however, are the characters. Not just Melissa, but her parents and her siblings (all four of them, yikes!), her ex Brian, her best friends Jimmy and Jess, and so many more than pop up throughout the stories. They all seemed so real, and I absolutely loved that. The books are funny and charming, but also serve to tell good life lessons. I would certainly recommend these books to anyone. Keep an eye out for my reviews of the other three books coming to the blog very soon!
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The Rest of the Series:
Ta Ta For Now: (FREE)
XOXOXO:
Ciao:
Award-Winning Author Bethany Lopez
began self-publishing in June 2011. Since then she has published various YA and
NA books. She is a lover of romance, family, and friends, and enjoys
incorporating those things in what she writes. When she isn't reading or
writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling
whenever possible.
Author Links:
***GIVEAWAY***
1 set of paperbacks of the series
1 set of ebooks of the series
Thanks for giving Melissa a chance. I'm so excited that you enjoyed the series so far!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good coming-of-age book.
ReplyDeleteIntriguing cover and summary! Good luck with your book tour, Bethany. I'm glad to find another excellent book review blog through the A to Z Challenge.
ReplyDelete