All-time Favorites

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

Bailey "Mink" Rydell has been messaging "Alex" online for quite some time now. She doesn't know much about him, except that he lives in California and loves movies. When Bailey moves to California to be closer to her father she doesn't ask "Alex" to meet up, but instead tries to find him herself. That way, if she is disappointed by the looks of him, she can end it all without any awkwardness. Very Artful Dodger. But when she meets her arch nemesis, she completely forgets about "Alex", and "Alex" seems to have entirely forgotten about her. But in a jaw-dropping turn of events, she realizes that the boy of her dreams is Alex, Approximately.

This book blew me away. There isn't another way to put it. It is witty and charming in every way possible with plenty of romance and adventure. The first time I read it, I couldn't put it down and *literally* read all 416 pages in one night (and morning). This book allows the reader to open their eyes and look for friendship in the strangest of places.

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum 

Readers follow the story of Jessie Holmes who has recently moved from chilly Chicago to sunny Los Angeles due to her father's re-engagement to a wealthy widow. Jessie is enrolled in a preppy private school, where she finds that everyone is a stuck-up brat. When she starts receiving anonymous emails from a stranger naming themselves Somebody Nobody, she feels uneasy at first, but gradually opens up to SN, wanting more and more to meet the stranger. As she meets some new friends, she becomes more comfortable in the new environment, but will she figure out who SN is, before she gives her heart to someone else?

This book is very well done! With so many lovable characters, Buxbaum portrays an adorable love story featuring important morals including but not limited to bullying and confusing friendships. It is so easy to lose yourself in the plot and feel like happy endings can come true.