Popularity is Just an Equation by A.R. Perry

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 234
Stand alone
Genre: YA,
Published: April 8, 2020
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis:

Sometimes even the best-laid plans go awry.

Piper

This isn’t how the rest of junior year is supposed to go. Prom is in a month and a half, and it should be a magical night with my boyfriend and all our friends.
Except there’s one little problem.
The guy who I’d been planning a future with kicked me to the curb out of the blue with little explanation.
But don’t worry, he still wants to be friends.
Now I’m out to prove a point. He wants to be popular? Well, I’ll beat him there and I have the perfect person in mind to help me get there.
Carter Jackson the golden boy of Center High is about to become my Yoda.
I’ve seen all the movies. How hard can it really be?

Carter

My future is on a set trajectory with me as an unwilling passenger. Piper Greenly isn’t part of that plan, but she asks for my help and even though I should say no, I agree to her ridiculous scheme to snag the guy and a spot at the popular table.
It all sounded so simple at first. But I guess nothing really is as easy as it sounds.
In a matter of weeks, my present is shaky and my future might not be as set as I thought. But I do know one thing—the girl with fiery hair and a matching spirit has ignited something in me.
Too bad she wants my best friend.

Popularity might be a simple equation, but what happens when variables of the heart aren’t considered?

Review:

I blink a few times, convinced I must have fallen into some vivid nightmare in the middle of the cafeteria because there’s no way my boyfriend of two years dumped me out of nowhere. Over a plate of square, rubbery pizza, no less.

1

This book was much better than Heartbreak Café. I tend to give authors a second chance because I know not all books by the same author can be favorites for me. I will say I liked this one so much more.

Carter and Piper were adorable together. This would have a four star but the Lord’s name was taken in vain once and that’s a no-no. After Piper is dumped by her boyfriend for two years she plans to get back at him by becoming popular. She enlists the help of an old friend.

I don’t know if I will read another book by this author or if I may give her another shot. We will have to see.

The New Girl by Jillian Adams

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 216
Series: Oak Brook Academy #1
Genre: High school, YA, boarding school
Published: July 14, 2019
Rating: 2.5 stars

Synopsis:

A new girl at school who is serious about her studies. A football player with nothing but fun on his mind. Can two teenagers from opposite worlds find love?

Sophie Blake is used to change. She’s used to being the new kid at school. But she’s never had the privilege of attending a school like Oak Brook Academy. She’s certainly never pictured herself at a boarding school with kids who have more money than what she could even imagine spending.

Wes Carter’s life is pretty easy. He’s popular, he’s on the football team and there’s no shortage of girls who are willing to spend time with him. Most girls don’t seem to challenge him the way that new girl, Fifi does. Something about the new girl is definitely intriguing.

When Sophie stands up to Wes during a playful first encounter and then marches out of the popular kids’ secret hideout, she puts her entire high school reputation on the line. She’s happy with her decision to be true to herself, but why can’t she get his dreamy green eyes out of her mind?

The New Girl is the first standalone book in the Oak Brook Academy teen sweet romance series. If you like charming mismatches, high school antics, and flirtatious twists of fate, then you’ll love Jillian Adams’ idyllic tale of love and romance for young adults.

Read all the books in the Oak Brook Academy series!

The New Girl (Sophie and Wes)
Falling for Him (Alana and Mick)
No More Hiding (Apple and Ty)
Worth the Wait (Maby and Oliver)
A Fresh Start (Jennifer and Gabriel)

Review:

Well, a second book under three stars. Tsk. Tsk.

While this is an okay story, I just didn’t feel like any of it was real. Sophie overreacted to almost everything. We didn’t get enough of her past to understand why she was so closed off and pushed everyone away. I really didn’t understand why she didn’t like Wes in the first place.

Maybe my mind wasn’t fully connected. I have already forgotten quite a bit of the book. Nothing resonated with me. I just felt like nothing stood out about either Wes or Sophie aka Fi. The one thing that I did stay for was to figure out what was going on with her mother, only to find out it was just her mom being a lack-luster of a mother. Nothing terrible, but nothing great either. The ending wasn’t anything special for me. It just seemed as if it was just wrapped up in a bow to have the happy ending.

Maybe this has something to do with how extremely tired I’ve been here lately. Or maybe this book wasn’t meant for me. I wish things were flushed out a bit more.