This book was an ARC gifted to me by the publisher and author through NetGalley. All thoughts are my own honest thoughts and do not reflect the author or publisher in any way.
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Author: Christina Mandelski
Genre/s: Teen & YA
Release date: September 2nd 2019
Pages: 200
When Caleb Gray heads to the Texas coast to mentally prepare for a future he isn’t sure he wants, the last person he expects to see is Catie Dixon. Yeah, their mothers have been planning their wedding since they were born, but he and Catie are most definitely not friends. He can’t see her as anything but the annoying kid who followed him everywhere. Except, it’s really bothering him that everyone is staring at her in that bikini…
Catie got over her crush on Caleb ages ago. So why can’t she see past his ripped body or how unsettled he seems? She’s got her own problems, though. Her future has been set for years and now she’s dreaming of pulling the plug. A week at their families’ beach house is just what she needs to pull herself together, and she has no intention of letting Caleb back into her heart…which would be a whole lot easier if he’d put on a shirt.
But a forced week of togetherness full of beach parties, waterslide mishaps, bonfires, and roller coasters sparks more than an understanding. What do you do when the person standing in the way of your future is the one person you grew up hating…but now don’t?
I am always a big fan of teens who are being forced to in one educational/job direction to “suddenly” realize that isn’t what they want to be doing and stand up to their parents. There is something so honest about it. The feeling of I should do what my parents think I should Vs. I should do what I want to do, is something I feel we can all relate to in one way or another.
I didn’t ship the main couple and that really made it hard to get through the book. While I supported them separately, but mostly Caleb because Catie lied to her parents, I wasn’t a fan of them together. It went very quickly from old friends who hate each other to jealously to lovers. I’m almost never a fan of hate to lovers though so that is probably why.
Also, for whatever reason, this book didn’t leave any sort of impression on me. I spent 3 days trying to come up with something to say about it and this was all I was able to come up with. I just felt nothing for it, negative or positive.
Just a YA book reader sharing her thoughts with the world 
When a book doesn’t leave an impression, and I have to go back and look for something ti spark a memory or a thought about it, I definitely know it is one I can not recommend. Usually I can find some positive, or something that would make the book appeal to someone, but when I have to think that hard in a review, it is a big fat NOPE.
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Yeah it definitely was a stretch to find my one good thing so it’s not something I would recommend unless you love the Author or something like that!
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The synopsis for this one sounds very meh and the fact that it didn’t leave any sort of impression on you says a lot. This was a great review!
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It sounded good to me when I first read it and then by the time it got approved I was like.. oh boy. It is what it is though. I’m glad I was able to get something up for it!
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I request things all the time and then what I’m approved I’m like whyyyyy. So I definitely understand that haha
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