Dreamology, by Lucy Keating

Max is the boy of Alice's dreams. Literally. Ever since her father took her to the Center for Dream Discovery (CDD) to help rid her of her nightmares, she's been dreaming about Max. Each night, they eat Oreo pizzas in museums while wearing black tie attire, ride pink elephants along the Great Wall of China, bounce on clouds amid technicolor hot air balloons, and have many a trippy nighttime adventure. Then Alice moves from New York to Boston and... SURPRISE! Who should show up in her class but Max. In the waking-world flesh. After some awkward encounters where Max swears he doesn't know Alice, he finally admits he remembers his dreams of her as well. Unfortunately for the Dream Couple, Max has a girlfriend who is supernice and is becoming friends with Alice. And class clown Oliver (Max's former BFF) is interested in Alice as more than just a friend. So Max and Alice must keep their attraction a secret. But of course secrets like this don't stay secrets for long. What follows is a hot mess of Drama.

And if you think that sounds convoluted, just wait: 

As their waking and dreaming worlds begin to blend together in some very odd ways (bulldogs riding motorcycles, anyone?), Max and Alice realize they're in danger of losing their sanity. They track down Dr. Petermann, the scientist who worked the CDD when they were patients there, and he referrs them to Professor Yang, another (former) CDD scientist...just as he is arrested for illegal parrot smuggling. 

Soon Max and Alice, along with Oliver and Alice's NYC BFF Sophie, are road tripping from Boston to Maine to track down Dr. Yang, who is apparently the one responsible for their condition. But will she be able to stop Max ans Alice's dreams before they permanently lose their grip on reality? 

To find out, you'll have to read!

Dreamology, the debut novel for author Lucy Keating, was a quick and fun read I breezed through in less than 48 hours (I took several breaks in between sessions). Unfortunately, it wasn't very deep. The romance lacked chemistry, characters lacked dimension, and the dream sequences seemed forced-weird (and were so frequent that they actually kind of took away from the story). Overall, Dreamology was a decent first book effort for Keating. But as is with most dreams upon waking, it isn't particularly memorable. --AJB

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I've taken this book in chapter by chapter, one here and one there, over the past three weeks and the experience was surprisingly not ruined by that. It says something if a story manages to hold my interest when I spread it out over a long period of time. Usually, I like them fast and close together. This book could have easily been a quick read and when I left it behind for a few days I found myself thinking about it.

Also, I found myself in the strange situation of digesting two romances at the same time this month and the experience pretty much turned me into a giggling puddle of girl. Ick.

This is the story of Mallory, a girl who spent the first twelve years of her life in foster care. The family she lived with was abusive and alcoholic. However, she always had a protector in Rider, another foster child who lived with the same family. Rider took many beatings for her and kept her as safe as he could, teaching her to hide in the closet and stay silent until the danger was over.

Now, Mallory is returning to public school for the first time in four years. After she was seriously injured, she was adopted by a pair of doctors who have provided her a safe and stable home. She is still recovering, though, and finds speaking to be particularly difficult after being conditioned to be silent. She's not quite sure if she is ready for public school but Mallory knows that if she wants to go to college she's going to have to get used to people and classes and, well, talking. What she doesn't expect is to run into Rider on the first day of school.

Rider has grown up and he is ridiculously hot. Mallory and him are drawn together by their past and their obvious affection for one another. It's complicated though. Mallory's parents don't approve of Rider for a number of reasons. Rider has a girlfriend and is still in the system. As Mallory realizes the truth about Rider and his life, she must figure out how to be the hero this time around or possibly lose him forever.

I liked this one. Like I said, it made me feel like a puddle of goo at times and it made me tear up a few times too. I probably could have done without the Epilogue as it tied things up too neatly for me but other readers will enjoy the glimpse into "forever."  -RYQ

When We Collided, by Emery Lord

When I first started hearing about When We Collided, the third novel by Emery Lord, I worried it would be another Manic-Pixie-Dream-Girl-Meets-Unrealistically-Sensitive-Boy sort of story. You know the kind.

I mean, here we have Vivi, who breezes into town on a cloud of Marilyn blonde hair and magnetic energy. She carves her initials into trees, makes friends with strangers, believes in past lives, and dresses in ballet slippers and painted butterfly wings. She's artistic, she's quirky, she's charming. She's the sort of girl all the boys fall in insta-lust with, the type all the mousy wallflower girls aspire to be. She's Stargirl, she's Helen of Troy, she's the unattainable love interest in every John Huges movie, she's every female character John Green ever created. She seems too good to be true.

Then we have Jonah, the local boy who gets pulled into Vivi's orbit. He's quiet, contemplative, and very sensitive. He's mature beyond his years. He's also a fabulous gourmet cook. He doesns't have much experience with girls, doesn't really have time for them, and can't believe a girl like Vivi would even notice him, much less insert herself so dramatically into his life.

If that were all these characters were, I'd have lost interest in the book before the first 50 pages. But Vivi and Jonah both are more than they first appear. Far more.

Vivi has recently been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. She and her single mother have come to Verona Cove for the summer, in part, at least, to give Vivi a fresh start and help her escape the trouble she left behind in Seattle. Unfortunately, Vivi wrongly believes the "fresh start" bit to mean she can stop taking her meds. At first she's ok. But then the manic highs associated with her disorder start up again. In fact, it is during one of these highs that she meets Jonah and what is left his family. But for every high, an equal low awaits. Vivi's behavior becomes more and more unpredictable, cumulating in a violent confrontation with her illigtimate birth father and a near-fatal moped accident. 

Jonah too is dealing with more than a boy his age should have to. Following the death of his father, Jonah's mother descended into a severe depression. Most days, she won't even get out of bed. So Jonah has stepped up to care for his horde of younger siblings (make lunches, get them to their daily activities, mediate arguments, etc). He also must help with the family restaurant. He feels inadequate. Not only does he feel like he's failed to help his mom out of her slump, but he also feels there's no way he can fill the shoes his dad left. He can't be everything he needs to be. Some days, he feels his family is broken beyond repair and nothing he says or does can fix it.

I guess what I'm saying, is this: These characters have depth. They're more than the stereotype. More than the formula. And the author's use of alternating viewpoint chapters really helps the reader get inside the heads of both Vivi and Jonah. Despite their flaws and dramas, they're good for each other. They're what each other needed, at least for the moment. 

Being that this is a teen romance, there's no Happily Ever After/Riding Off Into the Sunset Together. Nothing is permanent. Vivi and Jonah must move on with their lives. But the ending is satisfying. A little cheesy, too. But satisfying. You get the sense that the characters will be OK even though they must part ways.

Overall, a good Beach Read. --AJB

The Fill-In Boyfriend, by Kasie West

The Fill-In Boyfriend is a contemporary romance and it is absolutely adorable. This book is filled with humor, friendship, love, and learning who you are. Although, in the beginning, I disliked the main character, Gia Montgomery, because she is so concerned with what people think and she comes off as very insecure, shallow and self-absorbed. Because her plan didn't work out the way she wanted, she lies to her friends about her boyfriend. But as I read on, the main character is not bad at all and the positive qualities begin to make up for it.

The story begins when Gia gets dumped by her boyfriend Bradley in the parking lot of her school right before prom. This night was the night to prove to all her friends that her boyfriend actually exists after constantly boasting about him for months. As she became desperate, she sees a guy in the car and pretty much begs him to be her "fill-in Bradley". This "fill-in Bradley" does a great job at pretending to be her loving boyfriend. Too good for a job, because Gia can't stop thinking about him days after the prom.

The plot is certainly predictable and it's safe to say that this book is filled with so many sweet and swoony moments. The Fill-In Boyfriend is the perfect type of contemporary romance for reading by the pool!

Note: One character you need to be aware of is Jules. She is horrible, petty, jealous and just plain MEAN! She will drive you crazy! *JK*