"NOW-THAT-WE'RE-REUNITED-OUR-SEXUAL-TENSION-IS-OFF-THE-CHARTS"

Love Songs & Other Lies
Author: Jessica Pennington
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: April 24th, 2018

It’s summer romance and second chances, the songs that stay in your head, and the boy you’ll never forget.

Two years after rock-song-worthy heartbreak, Virginia Miller is looking forward to a fun, carefree summer. Her friends just landed a spot on a battling bands reality show, and Vee is joining them for her dream internship on tour. Three months with future rockstars seems like an epic summer plan. Until she learns she’ll also be sharing the bus with Cam. Her first love, and her first heartbreak. Now Vee has more than just cameras to dodge, and Cam’s determination to win her forgiveness is causing TMZ-worthy problems for both of them. With cameras rolling, she’ll have to decide if her favorite breakup anthem deserves a new ending. And if she’s brave enough to expose her own secrets to keep Cam’s under wraps. 

I am so here for the "WE-USED-TO-DATE-AND-HAVEN'T-SEEN-EACH-OTHER-IN-YEARS-SO-NOW-THAT-WE'RE-REUNITED-OUR-SEXUAL-TENSION-IS-OFF-THE-CHARTS" trope. 

This book is an example of why I love contemporaries so much. A relatable heroine, check!  An obtainable love interest, you betchya! And a plot line that keeps you hooked. 

Relatable Heroine: I loved Vee's point of view. She's sweet, shy, and snarky. She's the type of girl who hates the limelight and fears not being liked. Her safe place is off to the side, hiding behind the music. This girl grows so much as a character throughout the novel and it was so rewarding to see! 

Obtainable Love: Cam is sweet, sarcastic, and broken. Now, it could be said that Cam is a creeper. But I'm going to say that his initial stalkerishness gets cancelled out by his a-freakin-dorable personality and his loyalty to Vee. These two kiddos fit together so perfectly. Blazing sparks of adorbs everywhere!  [QUICK PSA: DO NOT LIE. Lies get you nowhere! I wanted to rattle this boy at times.] 

[[Shout out to Logan for being such an incredible friend to Vee! He needs a companion novel. Please, Jessica!?]]

Hooked by the plot: This novel is told in a THEN/NOW fashion that keeps you wanting more. I realized that flashbacks are totally my jam and I was so here for the time hops! Take these two sweet kids, add a couple years of being apart and trap them on a tour bus.....THE TENSION. 

Swoony, silly, sexy, sad. This book had it all. I would definitely recommend to any contemporary fiction lover out there!