Gabriela Martins

A paperback original romance about a teen rocker with a bad boy reputation and the aspiring journalist who's determined to dig up the dirt on him . . . if they don't fall for each other first. Ever since Daniel moved to L.A. from Brazil to join the band Mischief & Mayhem, he's become the tabloids' bad boy. Paparazzi follow him and girls swoon over him . . . except for Sasha, who hates bad boys. When a chance encounter brings them together, Sasha sees an opportunity to get close to Daniel and write a story that will make a name for herself at the celebrity gossip magazine where she interns. But Daniel is surprisingly sweet and extremely cute--could she be falling for him? The truth is: Daniel is hiding something. When Sasha discovers his secret, will she follow her heart or deliver the hottest story of the summer? Underlined is a line of totally addictive romance, thriller, and horror paperback original titles coming to you fast and furious each month. Enjoy everything you want to read the way you want to read it.

Bad at Love

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Diversity: Brazilian and Brazilian American MCs and characters, Pansexual MC, Demisexual MC

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, romance, music, boy band, LGBT

Age Relevance: 14+ (sexual content, romance, microaggressions, death, illness, underage alcohol consumption)

Explanation of Above: There is some romance in this book and a very vague sexual remark ala 50 Shades of Grey. There is one incident of microaggressions being said. There is a death mentioned. There is some illness mentioned. There is one scene of underage alcohol consumption.

Synopsis: Ever since Daniel moved to L.A. from Brazil to join the band Mischief & Mayhem, he’s become the tabloids’ bad boy. Paparazzi follow him and girls swoon over him . . . except for Sasha, who hates bad boys. When a chance encounter brings them together, Sasha sees an opportunity to get close to Daniel and write a story that will make a name for herself at the celebrity gossip magazine where she interns. But Daniel is surprisingly sweet and extremely cute—could she be falling for him?

The truth is: Daniel is hiding something. When Sasha discovers his secret, will she follow her heart or deliver the hottest story of the summer?

Review: I thought this book was okay overall. This is another band book, which I am not getting tired of in the YA world. I loved the discussion on immigration and Diaspora and how race and ethnicity are perceived in different parts of the world. The book reads really young, which is perfect for beginning YA readers. The book also did okay with the character development and world building.

However, I did think that the book was a bit too fast pace. It felt like a Wattpad fanfic about Harry Styles, which isn’t a bad thing but I wished it either fully leaned into it or was a bit less like it. The book also didn’t do well to convince me that this is a serious reporter who is close to getting this tough-to-get scholarship cause the piece she was writing on was kinda weird. I also thought the makeup scene was way too quick and honestly I’d never have forgiven someone who did that to me.

Verdict: It was good, just not my cup of tea.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

 

Book: Bad At Love

 

Author: Gabriela Martins

 

Book Series: Standalone

 

Rating: 3.5/5

 

Diversity: Brazilian and Brazilian American MCs and characters, Pansexual MC, Demisexual MC

 

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, romance, music, boy band, LGBT

 

Publication Date: August 2, 2022

 

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

 

Age Relevance: 14+ (sexual content, romance, microaggressions, death, illness, underage alcohol consumption)

 

Explanation of Above: There is some romance in this book and a very vague sexual remark ala 50 Shades of Grey. There is one incident of microaggressions being said. There is a death mentioned. There is some illness mentioned. There is one scene of underage alcohol consumption.

 

Publisher: Underline/Delacorte

 

Pages: 240

 

Synopsis: Ever since Daniel moved to L.A. from Brazil to join the band Mischief & Mayhem, he’s become the tabloids’ bad boy. Paparazzi follow him and girls swoon over him . . . except for Sasha, who hates bad boys. When a chance encounter brings them together, Sasha sees an opportunity to get close to Daniel and write a story that will make a name for herself at the celebrity gossip magazine where she interns. But Daniel is surprisingly sweet and extremely cute—could she be falling for him?

 

The truth is: Daniel is hiding something. When Sasha discovers his secret, will she follow her heart or deliver the hottest story of the summer?

 

Review: I thought this book was okay overall. This is another band book, which I am not getting tired of in the YA world. I loved the discussion on immigration and Diaspora and how race and ethnicity are perceived in different parts of the world. The book reads really young, which is perfect for beginning YA readers. The book also did okay with the character development and world building.

 

However, I did think that the book was a bit too fast pace. It felt like a Wattpad fanfic about Harry Styles, which isn’t a bad thing but I wished it either fully leaned into it or was a bit less like it. The book also didn’t do well to convince me that this is a serious reporter who is close to getting this tough-to-get scholarship cause the piece she was writing on was kinda weird. I also thought the makeup scene was way too quick and honestly I’d never have forgiven someone who did that to me.

 

Verdict: It was good, just not my cup of tea.

sydney

I loved everything about this book. Daniel is so cute and I loved seeing him fall in love for the first time. The only thing is I wish there was a bit more development in the middle of the book but besides that I loved it.

Bad at Love

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