Review of Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas

Title/Author: Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas
Publisher/Date published: Harper Teen, December 9th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Top Five Things That Are Ruining Chloe’s Day

5) Working the 6:30 a.m. shift at GoodFoods Market

4) Crashing a cart into a customer’s car right in front of her snarky coworker Sammi

3) Trying to rock the “drowned rat” look after being caught in a snowstorm

2) Making zero progress with her crush, Tyson (see #3)

1) Being accused — along with her fellow teenage employees — of stealing upwards of $10,000

Chloe would rather be anywhere than locked in work jail (aka the break room) with five of her coworkers... even if one of them is Tyson. But if they can band together to clear their names, what looks like a total disaster might just make Chloe’s list of Top Ten Best Moments.

So I heard this was a little like The Breakfast Club before I started reading it and guys, it is and it is totally cute!

It's been a month since I read this and I'm still smiling when I think of Chloe's list-making tendencies, which are AWESOME and seriously, I had so much fun with their weird customer moments cause when I was in high school I worked at our local supermarket and some people have a weird combination of groceries. For real, I could tell you things I have seen that are just weird. Also, people are weird, which is awesome on its own.

I really liked Chloe and loved how she was crushing on Tyson and then I wanted to shake her cause she's not dealing with her diabetes and just I wanted to hug this girl, ok? She's adorable and I see things of myself in her and it was fun. I also liked the other employees, they were a nice set of people, and OMG the home-schooled boy whose name I can't remember was THE BEST. I think he has the biggest heart of the bunch.

I was a bit WTF at their manager making them stay after hours on Christmas Eve when he has zero evidence that one of them has stolen the money, I mean, I would have told our manager just what he could do with his accusations (or rather, I would stare at him menacingly until he got the message) and leave. Seriously, he can't just do that. But as there wouldn't be a story otherwise, I will let it slide just this once.

If you're in for a cute, quick, fun read, then Top Ten Clues You're Clueless is your book. Go forth and have fluffly moments.

My rating: 3,5 stars

Review of Return of the Bad Girl by Codi Gary

Title/Author: Return of the Bad Girl (Rock Canyon Romance #4) by Codi Gary
Publisher/Date published: Avon Impulse, December 30th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

Goodreads summary: Bad girls don't forgive.
Bad girls don't forget.
Bad girls don't fall in love.

Caroline Willis may be known for causing trouble, but she is NOT about to become homeless. So when she learns that her perfect apartment has been double-booked — to a dangerously hot bad boy — Caroline's bad-girl reputation comes out in full force. He may be sexy as sin, but she's not afraid of him... or his panty-melting smile.

Rock Canyon's got room for only one bad attitude — and Gabe Moriarty was here first. Still, starting over means playing it smart, so while sharing his new apartment is less than ideal, it's worth getting his dream business off the ground. Not to mention that it means shacking up with a sexy wild child. Caroline may be giving him the cold shoulder, but Gabe always was good at starting fires...

Caroline vows to keep things professional with Gabe, but as close quarters begin to ignite the sizzling chemistry between them, she's left wondering: Bad boy plus bad girl equals nothing but trouble... right?

I enjoyed Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars, the second book in this series and haven't read the other two yet, but I have to say that I wasn't much a fan of Return of the Bad Girl.

As I'm sitting typing this review, I'm not even all that sure why exactly I finished reading it, because I wasn't all that into the romance. Which is kinda the point of a romance novel, right? I think it might be due to the fact that Return of the Bad Girl has two adorable teeny tiny kittens in it and I'm a sucker for anything feline ever since we got a cat ourselves a couple of months ago. And as I was away from home all week, I craved a cat companion no matter if it was just a fictional one. Or two.

Caroline and Travis have both had a tough past and are both more than a little damaged by it. They both have scars and that feels right considering everything. The one thing that I can't figure out is why there's nothing about Travis' five years in prison in the book. I mean, it's mentioned, but that's it. Nothing about his experiences there, which felt off to me. I mean, that's a big part of your life and it's gonna shape you somehow.

I was wondering why their parents were so sucky, even if Caroline's father comes around after she confesses her big secret to him. She and her father should really learn to communicate better. And while I really liked the small town vibe in Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars, it really annoyed me in Return of the Bad Girl, because everyone was so judgmental and just plain mean. And how are there so many sleazeballs in such a tiny place?

But mostly the problem was that I wasn't feeling it. I wasn't feeling the romance and the drama and was a bit like yeah, maybe you shouldn't be together. Which is not what you want to be thinking when you should be rooting for a couple.

My rating: 1,5 stars