Number of Pages: 320
Rating: 5
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Books like it: After Hello by Lisa Mangum
My favorite quote:
“This is me facing failure. This is me putting everything on the line even though I know I might lose. And I'm terrified. But like you said, anything worth having is worth the risk.”
Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.
So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.
She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.
My Summary:
I just gave this book 5 stars. I am smacking my head against my laptop in misery right now. This book was so extremely CHEESY. But for some reason I loved this book so much! There was just something alluring to me about the cheesy but adorable romance between Xander and Caymen.
Usually, I am not a romantic kind of girl. While other girls have their noses buried in the latest Nicholas Sparks book, I am over there in the action section falling in love with books with spies like Ethan Hunt (yes, I am a Mission Impossible Fan) or super geniuses like Tony Stark. (I know these are movie comparisons. I got Iron Man 3, my favoritest movie ever, for Christmas, and I watch it like three times a day.)
Anyway, the point is, I never get into romance junk, and I never purposely read them.
Unless my friend begs me.
Amd then I give in and put it on my wish list.
And then I get it for Christmas.
And then the cover is so gorgeous……
This book, to most, and DEFINITELY to the usual me, would seem very cheesy. But for some reason I fell in love with this book. Caymen was very funny and I felt like I could relate with her in many ways. (Except that hot boys actually pay attention to her…..) Xander… is my new fictional crush. At first, I thought he was a huge jerk but then I realized how amazing was. And then I realized he didn’t actually exist.
My Synopsis:
This story is about a girl named Caymen Meyers. She is extremely poor, living with her mom in their apartment. Below their apartment is the doll store where Caymen spends half of her life, working to pay off her mom’s debts. Although she wishes she had something better to do with her time, and she is released from most of her school time in order to work, Caymen is determined to support her mother. After her father bailed on them when Caymen was born, it is just them carrying the weight. Caymen’s life is pretty average and normal.
I’m the queen of having done nothing so I’m pretty sure you’ve far outdone me.
Then one morning, she gets a customer that changes her life. A rich boy named Xander Spence, that is there to buy a doll for his grandmother. As he keeps entering her life more and more, trying to get her attention, Caymen is weary. She knows that the rich boys have a small attention span and Xander will break her heart someday. Despite her tendency to be cautious, Caymen can’t help but feel her heart slam into her rib cage every time he talks to her.
“I slide my feet onto the seat next to him, my ankle brushing against his thigh. “No shallowness of breath? No rapidly beating heart?”
He rests one hand on my foot as he continues to mess with his phone. His eyes meet mine in amusement. “Are those the indicators? I might have an issue after all.”
As she falls deeper and deeper in love with Xander, something keeps holding her back. Then, when something happens that makes her question her feelings for him, Caymen must decide if the pretty rich boy is there to stay or if he will steal her heart and run away.
“Caymen?”
“Yes?”
“You look terrified. Does this scare you?”
“More than anything.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t bring my mints.”
“And now the real answer . . .”
“Because I’m afraid that once you catch me, the game’s over.”
Two orders of buisness: Caymen and Xander. Xander is amazing, so I will leave him for last.
Caymen:
“A lot of people don’t get my humor. My mom calls it dry humor. I think that means “not funny,” but it also means I’m the only one who ever knows it’s a joke.”
I loved this girl! She had this sarcastic humor that was pretty cheesy but sometimes I thought it was pretty funny. She is distrustful of Xander and does not immediately fall for him like some YA characters in the world today. Another thing I loved about her was the fact that she was not perfect, and some parts of her were boring. I hate characters that are so flawlessly perfect that they aren’t even believable. Last thing I loved was her ability to be selfless almost always. Sometimes Xander didn’t approve of it, but she was always thinking of her mother before herself.
“Is that your subtle way of saying you missed me last week?"
"I've missed my hot chocolate. I just think of you as the guy who brings it to me. Sometimes I forget your name and call you hot chocolate guy.”
Xander:
I loved Xander for so many reasons. First off, he did very subtle but sweet things for Caymen, like taking her places for their career days, bringing her hot chocolate every morning and walking her to school. He didn’t act too stuck up most of the book, and he was always thinking of ways to cheer Caymen up. Bottom line: I loved him.
“My older brother, Lucas, is twenty and away at college."
"Those are pretty normal names."
"Normal?"
"No Chets or Wellingtons or anything."
He raises one eyebrow. "Do you know any Wellingtons?"
"Of course not, but you probably do."
"No, actually I don't.”
Sneak Peek/ Snippet (NEW!!!)
I am always trying to think up new things for my reviews, and I had this idea to give you my favorite non-spoiler scene from this book. So, because I am just that awesome, I chose a really great scene to share with you. I am going to call it the Kitchen Treasure Hunt. Enjoy!
“Have you ever looked inside these cupboards in your life?” I ask.
“Of course.”
“Let’s play a game, then. Skye names a kitchen item. Whoever finds it first wins.”
“Wins what?”
“Bragging rights.”
“This is my house. I think I’ll win.”
“Prove it, rich boy. Tess isn’t here to make your bottle for you.”
“Oh, you are so on.”
I smile. I know my way around a kitchen. And if a cook set it up she would be smart and practical. Cooking utensils by the stove, glasses by the sink. I have this. I nod to Skye.
“Okay. We will start easy. Spatula.”
Xander goes to the island and starts tearing through the drawers. I go to the stove and pull open the drawers on each side of it. Right away I find the spatula and turn around, holding it up.
“First round to Caymen,” Skye says, and Xander snaps his head up to look at me. He growls.
“Okay, second item. Cereal bowl.”
I give a grunt of indignation. “So not fair. You knew he’d know where that is. “ And he does. Cupboard beside the pantry.
“Tiebreaker,” Skye calls out. “Find me a strainer.”
I laugh at the look on Xander’s face. It’s a look that says, I don’t even know what that is. I race towards the sink. It will be underneath one of the cupboards there. When I reach for the cupboard, a pair of hands grab my waist and pull me back. Then he cuts around me and opens the cupboard I was going for. I jolt forward and settle next to him, trying to push him aside with my body.
“Cheater,” he says.
“Me? You’re the cheater.” He’s standing firm. I can’t push over him and he is searching the shelves.
“It’s like a bowl with holes in it,” Skye calls out.
“My own best friend is against me.” I wrap my hands around Xander’s waist and try to pull him back. The kettle on the stove whistles and Skye removes it from the burner.
“Got it!” Xander holds the strainer up in the air. I jump up and try to grab it, but he keeps it just out of my reach. When I try to pull his arm down, he puts his free arm around my shoulders, pinning me against his chest. “And the winner is Xander.”
“Cheaters! The both of you!”
He clears his throat. “I’d like to dedicate this win to my supreme knowledge of the kitchen layouts and tools therein that I have used on many occasions. If it wasn’t for-” he stops mid-sentence and says, “Oh, hi, Mom.”
In Conclusion:
In conclusion, if you don’t like romances like me, and you don’t think you would like this book, I still think you should give it a try. Xander and Caymen are a cute couple, and overall, this was a cute story. It was really cheesy at parts and sometimes I might have wanted to strangle the author, but I just could not help liking this book.
