Book Review: Keeping the Distance

Title: Keeping the Distance
Series: I Heart Iloilo, #1
Author: Clarisse David
Publication Date: February 06, 2017
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Add to: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

No bets. No fake relationships. Just a very real one that has to be kept under wraps.

Seventeen-year-old Melissa wants to dye her hair cotton candy pink and focus on her ukulele instead of Physics. But she can't. As the daughter of a Catholic school principal, living up to her model student image 24/7 is a must. Something's about to give under all the pressure. She only hopes it isn't her.

Getting involved with a troublemaking basketball player is the last possible thing she needs...

Lance is used to getting what he wants. With a pretty face he uses to full advantage and his role as co-captain of the basketball team, the easy way is the only way he's ever known. Until the day he notices the prim Melissa he's known forever is actually hot and decides to ask her out. He has no idea he's about to learn the lesson of a lifetime.

Not getting what he wants might exactly be what he needs.

MY THOUGHTS
Let me just say that this book was cute AND sweet, but it also has a tiny bit of angst in it which I happen to like. The hate to love trope is one of my favorite tropes in stories because of the tension between the two main characters and the exciting feeling of reading both of them finally realizing their true feelings for each other.

Lance got a crush on Melissa and he's determined to show her that he likes her. Too bad that his ways of showing her is either through teasing or getting them both in trouble, sending them to the principal's office. Melissa, however, wasn't having any of it. Not only is she a role model student, she's also the daughter of the principal. She has an image to keep and she can't have Lance be in the way. It was torture enough to be keeping a good image despite her wanting to throw it away. She didn't need a him to be an addition to this dilemma in her life.

Their teasing and bickering were fun to read and I swear I snorted out loud at the quote below.

"There's something wrong with my phone."

"What?"

"It doesn't have your number in it."

SMOOTH. Hashtag Hugot.

I love that conversation between Lance and Melissa's father where Lance stood up for her and made a huge point that it should be her decision in the end. How true it that. Mel's dad depicts a lot of parents being protective over their kids to the point that they have this picture perfect image of them set already, and said kid should be doing the most to be that image in order to meet the parents' expectations. It's actually pretty sad and it hurts because this is reality for a lot of kids who are too scared to voice their honest opinion to their parents in case of disappointment.

To the minor characters, I love Jace and Cam. They're the kind of friends you'd want to have in your life. I also love how Jace likes to keep things neat. As someone who likes to be organized and be neat, it's nice to read about it because I can relate. There's also Lance's sister, Julianne, who seemed to be Lance's cheerleader and she's pretty sweet to Mel.

Overall, Keeping the Distance was a fun read that tackled not just romance, but also friendship and family, and it left me with a smile on my face.

MY RATING

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Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Keeping the Distance by Clarisse David

Today is the cover reveal for Keeping the Distance by Clarisse David. This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. This cover is designed by Daniel Tinagan


Keeping the Distance 
(I Heart Iloilo #1)
By Clarisse David
Genre: Romance
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: February 6, 2017

Blurb:

No bets. No fake relationships. Just a very real one that has to be kept under wraps.

Seventeen-year-old Melissa wants to dye her hair cotton candy pink and focus on her ukulele instead of Physics. But she can't. As the daughter of a Catholic school principal, living up to her model student image 24/7 is a must. Something's about to give under all the pressure. She only hopes it isn't her.

Getting involved with a troublemaking basketball player is the last possible thing she needs...

Lance is used to getting what he wants. With a pretty face he uses to full advantage and his role as co-captain of the basketball team, the easy way is the only way he's ever known. Until the day he notices the prim Melissa he's known forever is actually hot and decides to ask her out. He has no idea he's about to learn the lesson of a lifetime.

Not getting what he wants might exactly be what he needs.

You can find Keeping the Distance on Goodreads

You can pre-order Keeping the Distance on Amazon


About the Author:

Clarisse David is a Young Adult and New Adult author from the land of epic heat waves a.k.a. the Philippines. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and cannot survive without Taylor Swift songs, red lipstick, and books. When not hanging out on Twitter, she can be found working on her latest writing project.


You can find and contact Clarisse here:

- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Instagram
- Pinterest
- Newsletter


Giveaway

There is a cover reveal wide giveaway for the cover reveal of Keeping the Distance. These are the prizes you can win:

- One winner will win an ebook copy of Keeping the Distance by Clarisse David and an ebook of their choice from #romanceclass. See the whole list of romanceclass books here: http://www.romanceclass.com

- 2 winners will each win an ebook copy of Keeping the Distance by Clarisse David

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Top Ten Tuesday: 2016 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten 2016 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To (But TOTALLY Plan To)

*I wanted to read these so much (that's why there's more than 10 books in this list)
**2016 was the year I got a job...and said job hindered me from have enough time to read more books (even though I completed my GR Reading Challenge 102/100 books, STILL)

 

WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS by Anna Marie McLemore (October 04, 2016) - this sounded like a best friends to lovers trope + it has witches and magic.

TELL THE TRUTH, SHAME THE DEVIL by Melina Marchetta (October 11, 2016) - it's Melina Marchetta... and she's one of my favorite authors ever... so this is definitely a must-read (that I failed last year)

THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR by Nicola Yoon (November 01, 2016) - so I loved Everything Everything and I am hoping to love this one as well. And the MCs are Jamaican-American and Korean-American!!

  

OUR CHEMICAL HEARTS by Krystal Sutherland (October 04, 2016) - I don't know how sad this will be but I got a copy and I still plan on reading this...even if it might break my heart.

VASSA IN THE NIGHT by Sarah Porter (September 20, 2016) - this was even one of my most anticipated reads of 2016 but oh well, I failed to read it.

THE HATING GAME by Sally Thorne (August 09, 2016) - there's SO MUCH buzz about this book and as always, my Twitter timeline got too convincing. I didn't evenknow this was New Adult + a hate to love trope? Sign me up.

WAIT FOR IT by Mariana Zapata (December 07, 2016) - a Zapata book that I have yet to read... I need that slow burn in my life again.

THE THOUSANDTH FLOOR by Katharine McGee (August 30, 2016) - I bought this book a few days after its release because I was captivated by the pretty cover (A Weakness)

THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES by Mindy McGinnis (September 20, 2016) - again, my Twitter timeline convinced me to read this + the plot sounds interesting.

IRON CAST by Destiny Soria (October 11, 2016) - the cover alone was enough for me to want to pick it up.

LABYRINTH LOST by Zoraida Cordova (September 06, 2016) - this is about witches and it really sounds interesting because our MC decided to get rid of her powers but it backfired to her...resulting to her family vanishing into thin air.

OF FIRE AND STARS by Audrey Coulthurst (November 22, 2016) - queen-to-be and future king's sister get together instead. And its set in a fantasy world!

  

THREE DARK CROWNS by Kendare Blake (September 20, 2016) - three queen sisters fighting for a crown with lots of magic = my kind of story.

EVER THE HUNTED by Erin Summerill (December 27, 2016) - I was too busy during Christmas time that I forgot about this...and to think this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year 2016.

NEVER EVER by Sara Saedi (June 21, 2016) - another anticipated read that even made it to one of my Waiting on Wednesday posts

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Waiting On Wednesday: The Book Jumper

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

WHAT I'M WAITING FOR

Title: The Book Jumper
Author: Mechthild Gläser
Publication Date: January 03, 2017
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Add to: Goodreads

Amy Lennox doesn't know quite what to expect when she and her mother pick up and leave Germany for Scotland, heading to her mother's childhood home of Lennox House on the island of Stormsay.

Amy's grandmother, Lady Mairead, insists that Amy must read while she resides at Lennox House—but not in the usual way. It turns out that Amy is a book jumper, able to leap into a story and interact with the world inside. As thrilling as Amy's new power is, it also brings danger: someone is stealing from the books she visits, and that person may be after her life. Teaming up with fellow book jumper Will, Amy vows to get to the bottom of the thefts—at whatever cost.

WHY I'M WAITING
I saw this on my twitter timeline long ago but I forgot about it. Yesterday, I saw it again on bloggers' Top Ten Tuesday lists. So... I immediately added it to my TBR. The cover and blurb are so convincing.

Really... "Amy is a book jumper, able to leap into a story and interact with the world inside."

• the protagonist can go to the world that's inside the book

• she can also interact with the characters

• we have moments where we want to escape reality and that's why for us, we read books, now imagine actually living IN IT.

• that's like...every avid reader's dream...

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'm Looking Forward To For The First Half Of 2017

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Books I'm Looking Forward To For The First Half Of 2017

*I sorted this via release date
**Krista and Becca just said Infini will be released next month with no specific date yet BUT this is my most anticipated so it's my number 1

01. Infini by Krista and Becca Ritchie
— January 2017

- best friends to lovers trope! (I'm forever a sucker for this)
- female MC is is a WOC (she's Jamaican-American)
- male MC is a kleptomaniac (Luka is a precious cinnamon roll)
- strong!! family!! relationship!! (I'm forever weak in this department)
- Krista and Becca are two of my all-time favorite and trusted authors and not one book of theirs has let me down yet

02. Caraval by Stephanie Garber
— January 31, 2017

- protagonist wants to see Caraval, a show where the audience could participate
- her sister helped her escape so she could see the said show
- unfortunately, her sister got kidnapped as part of Caraval's game
- and if said sister is found, then whoever found her is the winner
- lots of magic
- sisterhood (like I said in Infini above, I'm weak for this kind of stuff)

03. Wintersong by S. Jae Jones
— February 07, 2017

- I was too late to get an ARC for this so... *cries*
- it's a Labyrinth retelling
- protagonist loves writing songs and the Goblin King is her muse
- "a life for a life", protagonist agrees to marry the Goblin King in exchange for her sister's freedom
- Marie Lu enjoyed and loved this, and I trust her review 

04. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
— February 07, 2017

- IMPORTANT
- protagonist's best friend was shot to death by a police officer
- inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement
- serious issues that's happening in society will be tackled for sure
- is definitely going to be sending out a deep message for the readers
- this is actually optioned for a movie already though?

05. The Ship Beyond Time by Heidi Heilig
— February 28, 2017

- sequel to The Girl from Everywhere
- we got pirates here
- and we also got time-traveling
- I hope my ship sails... (not talking about the one you ride on the water)
- I was happy to know that there's a sequel because the first book's ending left me with some questions

06. Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton
— March 07, 2017

- sequel to Rebels of the Sand
- the first book was really, really promising
- we got magic, legends, prince, princesses, and Djinnis
- the cute romance in the first book had me wanting more
- lots of interesting characters that possess their own power
- friendships (this is another thing I love reading about)
- there's that "who to trust" thing

07. Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
— April 04, 2017

- when Jenny Han dropped the cake picture on twitter, I almost cried
- let this be a good conclusion to Lara Jean's story and I just want everyone to be happy
- please let there be more baking
- and more of the precious Song Sisters, please
- Peter Kavinsky. That's it.

08. Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh
— May 02, 2017

- the one who brought us The Wrath and the Dawn is now bringing us another series(?) set in feudal Japan and I'm here for it
- protagonist is ambushed but escaped
- she dresses up as a boy to learn about the people who wanted to kill her
- a mash-up of Mulan and 47 Ronin
- if there's romance, I wonder if it's gonna be an enemies-to-lovers trope

09. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
— May 30, 2017

- two Indian-Americans and an arranged marriage
- male MC is a hopeless romantic
- female MC is not and just wants a break from her family
- their families are sending them both to the same summer program
- figured this is going to be a light, romantic YA read and I need that
- also how precious is that cover? *heart eyes emoji*

10. I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo
— May 30, 2017

- female MC is a NBSB (No Boyfriend Since Birth)
- sucks at romance and can't flirt to save her life
- starts watching Korean dramas in hopes to learn about the romance
- actually uses the things she learned from the K-dramas

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Top Ten Tuesday: New-To-Me Authors I Read For The First Time In 2016

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read For The  First Time In 2016

*I'll be starting from 10 here.
**Some of these authors aren't really new to me. I've heard/seen them around but I never given the chance to check out their works until this year.

10. M. Hollis - This recently debuted author published her book The Melody of You and Me and it was one of the cutest reads for me this year. Hollis delivered a good F/F story not just on the romantic side but also making you admire her characters as they talk about the things they're passionate about and how they're so in love that it makes you go awww nonstop.

09. Alwyn Hamilton - First of all, congratulations to Alwyn Hamilton for winning Goodreads' Debut Goodreads Author! Rebel of the Sands was a great start for a series...? I still have no clue of this is going to be a duology or trilogy or saga or something. But all I know is that her debut novel kicked off to a start that had me wanting more of it. We're talking about magic here. Jinnis to be exact.

08. Melissa Landers - Starflight was recommended by a friend and I needed a good sci-fi book to read after The Lunar Chronicles so I went for it. After I read the book, I visited her profile and landed on her works. Alienated was one of them. I've heard the book so many times in Booktube that it actually surprised me that these two books are by the same author. I've been wanting to read Alienated but never got the chance...or time, I don't really know why.

07. Heidi Heilig - If not for The Book Voyagers' #amazingbookrace and Keep It Diverse's book of the month on Twitter, I would've never picked up The Girl From Everywhere this year. It was my first pirate book and another thing to add in my time-travel shelf. There's also going to be a sequel so you can definitely say I'll be reading it once it's out.

06. Mariana Zapata - I gotta hand it to her for the ever so slow-burn romance in her books. I've read Kulti and The Wall of Winnipeg and Me this year and sports sports sports!! (I love sports though and bonus points if the female protagonist actually plays) and if the tension between the two characters...and that WHEN ARE THEY GONNA KISS feeling. Yes, the author makes you feel that until who-knows-when while you're reading.

05. Melissa de la Cruz - I've seen her around: across the internet, the bookstores, even on TV (eye emoji at Disney's Descendants). This year, I've picked up my first book of hers: Something in Between. I'll be honest, the story was honestly realistic and it's actually based also on the author's experience but I wasn't into her writing. It felt flat to me but I really, REALLY, appreciate her for sharing what she went through by writing this book. I've had family members who are immigrants and their stories aren't as different as the protagonist's so this book is an eye-opener. Just that...the writing wasn't my cup of tea, sadly.

04. Nicola Yoon - I just read Everything Everything last month and I am impressed. I've discovered her through the numerous tweets about The Sun is Also a Star so I checked her GR profile and immediately went for EE first. I fell in love with the book and THERE PAGES WITH DOODLES! It really made the book so cute and so worthwhile reading. Now I'm all here for her other works.

03. Con Template - Many thanks to The Book Voyagers for creating a thread of diverse books and Con Template's work caught my attention: Welcome to the Underworld (have yet to make a series review for this). Now this series has made its home in my heart and I gotta give it to the author because this was a "fanfic series turned to published book series". Talk about achievement. I read fanfics and it's rare to find fics with a very interesting plot. That series belonged to the rarity, I had to give it to Con Template for putting me on the edge of my seat many times.

02. Mina V. Esguerra - As a Filipina, I was looking for Filipinx authors because I wanted to give my support to the local authors. So I searched for lists and I found a bunch of Esguerra's works (especially her Interim Goddess of Love - which was cute and have a pinch of Filipino mythology bits in it) her in the list so why not? I needed a good book with a Filipinx rep in it and her books are it. Plus, she recommends other Filipinx authors with their works too.

01. Melina Marchetta - I devoured her books this year. I've seen Finnikin of the Rock around in Goodreads, it was even recommended to me THRICE. But I never really had this...pull, to read it. I've known her for On the Jellicoe Road but it was when my Twitter timeline (or let's say my mutuals) were tweeting about a good fantasy series and kept bringing up Lumatere. I had no idea what Lumatere was so I searched it on GR and it's the name of the series and the first book is Finnikin of the Rock. So I finally picked it up, thanks to Twitter, and I got hooked. I've read her other books and I recently reviewed Saving Francesca. I've read majority of her books and I can say that this author has not yet disappointed me.


(I wanted to provide pictures of their works but I remembered about today's TTT while I was already in bed and ready to sleep)

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