I’ve been given an ARC of this book and it has no influence on my willing and honest review.


4 stars.

Almost Impossible is the perfect book to read alongside the pool on a summer day. It is easy to read filled with lovable characters and under the light tones some heavy topics as shouldering responsibilities, making the right moral choices even if the road is hard are skillfully broached.

This story revolves around Jade and Quentin, two people meeting in the summer before entering their last year of high school.

Jade is the definition of a level headed and responsible girl.
She's been raised by her single mother who happens to be in a famous girl’s band. Jade may be the daughter but she was the one taking care of the band's schedule. She was mothering the other members.
I loved the opening scene with Jade feeling bad to let her mother fend for herself. What if she lost her phone charger for the Nth time? She had packed her two extras to get her through the summer but you never known… And what if...
I could feel the love and care between these two. It was also time that Jade had some healthy distance with her mother to discover the world by herself and know what she would really want.

The role reversal with her mom telling her to find some trouble was a fresh idea.

Jade asked her mom to spend the summer at her aunt’s house to experience the world as a “normal” teenager but she also has a hidden goal. One she did not tell her mother but is really determined to reach. A secret vital to help Jade know who she really was and what she wanted in life.

Jade’s aunt and uncle are opposite to her mom and she won’t have much freedom living with them. That’s why she applied to a summer job as one more experiment and some time out of the house.
Of course knowing Nicole Williams there is a romance. And the hero will come wearing a life guard attire. Meet Quentin. Head life guard at the pool. Nice abs wide shoulders. Responsible but Jade's key to find some trouble.

Quentin is the boy of your dreams but he hides a secret. A big secret.

Quentin will push Jade to live her life as another underlying theme is “live your life and don't regret”. Do. Don't live vicariously through books. That's quite ironical for us bookworms but true nonetheless.

I loved Quentin as he was just perfect: handsome, sweet, responsible, wearing his heart on his sleeve…everything you should wish in a YA book hero.
The banter between Quentin and Jade was funny with a sarcastic undertone that I so love in my books.

This is a sweet story about living your life as a teenager. About being responsible. About parenting and raising kids alone. About making the right moral choices as difficult as they might be. Taking responsibilities for your mistakes instead or turning your back and walking away when life got hard and you didn’t want to deal. The characters are likeable, good people at their core. The pace is right. The writing is smooth and sass is present giving a nice shake to the story.

If you are looking for one more book to add to your summer list don’t look further you’ve found it.

Thank you Random House Children for your trust.

Quentin.and Jade do not have the greatest of beginnings. Jade has just arrived to spend the summer at her aunt and uncle's house. Her mother is a successful singer and her band is hugely successful. Jade has spent her entire life on the road with her mother and hasn't ever spent any time in suburbia. She is shocked to find that it is not what she thought it was going to be.

Quentin is a 17-year-old with a lot of responsibilities and he doesn't shirk from any of them. He was a stand-up kid and he made no bones about the fact he liked Jade a whole lot. He apologized right away for his behavior the first time they met and I gave him credit for that. I figured out what was going on with him pretty quickly and I liked how he always tried to do the right thing in the end.

Jade was pretty sheltered in some ways for a kid who spent her life on the road. She was introverted and needed a push from both her mom and Quentin to enjoy herself. It was nice to see her come out of her shell some. Her aunt, Julia, was pretty uptight and treated her like an 8-year-old at times and I felt her mother should have stepped in a bit. She was actually a pretty level-headed 17-year-old. Her quest to find her father and meet him also played a role in this book.

There were quite a few surprises and I was really happy with how it all played out. I don't want to give anything away since the book has quite a few twists in it. I would recommend this book, especially if you have previously liked the previous books written by Nicole Williams.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

I consider myself a lover of YA books, but I've found this category so hit or miss for me lately, that I was beginning to wonder if I'd actually finally aged out of them. With Almost Impossible it became clear to me that I just haven't been lucky enough to pick up the right ones lately. Because this book? It was almost everything I love about YA.

I was completely charmed by the smart writing and the sharp, snappy banter between Quentin and Jade. I became frustrated sometimes, particularly with Jade who sometimes behaved like the self centered, immature seventeen year old she actually is (so, while frustrating to me, totally appropriate for her character). I loved their easy relationship though, and the sweetness of it all. There is nothing like reading about first love, and I'd like to think it won't ever get old.

I completely, 100%, no-holds-barred adored Quentin. And I loved the (not-so-surprising) twist to their story. Important issues are touched on here, but not in a way that felt preachy. However, from a YA reader standpoint, I might have liked a little more depth into the background of those issues, a little more explanation, and a little less dancing around them.

I might have also liked a bit more from the ending, which felt a little abrupt. That said, I am overall happy with the story, which was super easy to read and completely satisfied my sappy little innocent romance lovers heart. I would definitely not hesitate to read more from this author!

I seem to struggle with a book where the parents can't be bothered to be parents and so I was immediately turned off by this book.

Almost Impossible- Nicole Williams.

A sweet summer story of young romance between Jade and Quentin.

Jade is determined to spend her summer locked away in her room reading but Jade has never had the normal life of a teenager, travelling the world with her famous musician mother. Jades neighbor Quentin has other ideas about her summer fun though, with plans to show Jade exactly how a summer should be spent.

I enjoyed this story and the writing by Nicole Williams which has just enough depth to the characters but still allowing you to draw your own conclusions. The secret was a little easy to see coming though, but as a YA book, very responsibly written and sweet with loads of YA entertainment value.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review.

I am not a huge young adult reader. I do find some from time to time that peek my interest. Nicole's young adult novels have been on my must read list as of late.

I really enjoyed this real to life story. Well, the situations in this book are real to life. Jade's life itself isn't completely real to life, but that is what gives this book a more real feel to it. I was immersed from start to finish.

The little twist in this story wasn't hard to figure out. However, I don't think it was supposed to be. I think the journey to the revealing of the twist was the point of this book. It is definitely an enjoyable and a little heart breaking journey.

If you are looking for a more lighter young adult read without the consistent drama of annoying teenagers, this should be right up your alley. Although, there are a few catty moments, but they aren't the premise of this book. I, for one, was very thankful for that.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this preapproved galley. #PRHPartner

I absolutely adored AND devoured this book in less than 2 hours. Once, I started it I couldn’t stop but luckily for me it was a short book.

This book was unpredictable, romantic, funny, heartwarming and all around lighthearted which I loved! Def did not predict what the ‘big secret’ was so I was as shocked as Jade, which for an author to do is pretty remarkable. Weaving a tale of first love, secrets, heartbreak and second chances, this book is a perfect lighthearted summer (or any season) read,

The MC, Quentin, was so responsible which was a nice change to see in an mc love interest, I liked his quirkiness, boldness and that he took responsibility for his actions.

I would def recommend this book!

Almost Impossible is a sweet young adult story about first love, learning who you are, and discovering what life has to offer. And like every other Nicole Williams book I’ve read, I loved every bit of it.

Jade is a teenage girl who has lived out most teenagers’ fantasies her whole life – traveling the world. She’s never stayed in one place for too long, so she decides to do just that the summer before her senior year. She moves in with her aunt and uncle to experience life as a “normal” teenager.

I really liked Jade’s character. She’s strong, independent, curious and for a teenager, quite worldly. She has a lot of learning to do about herself though and I enjoyed going on that journey with her. As it is with every teenager in the history of the world, it’s not easy. There are bumps in the road and lessons she has to learn the hard way.

Quentin is also a very loveable character. He’s sweet, dreamy, and oddly responsible for a teenager. I loved the chemistry and banter between him and Jade from the very beginning.

If you’ve never read a Nicole Williams book before (first of all, shame on you, what are you even doing with your life?), then you have no idea what to expect when it comes to her writing. Her writing in this book, as with all of her others, is phenomenal. I personally really mesh with her style and voice. I loved this book and I’m happy to recommend, along with all of her other books.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and exchange for an honest review! Thanks NetGalley.

When I first read the plot of the book, it didn't seem like anything special. But I decided to ask for an advanced copy anyway, and after reading the first couple of chapters, I was hooked.

What drew me to the book at first was a guy (Quentin) determined to show the new girl (Jade) a better summer than just her summer plans to read and write. I was intrigued by Quentin's secrets and wondered why he kept pulling away from Jade when she was trying to get closer to him (I'm not going to put any spoilers here). After learning the truth, I could see the reason for a lot of his earlier distant behavior.

This book is a light summer teen romance, with a little bit of something else that makes it stand out (again, no spoilers). For fans of teen books, if you are wanting a light summer romance with a little bit of mystery, you should read this book.

This is a 3.5 star novel.

Jade is perfectly content to spend the summer at her aunt's reading and being the awesome nerd that she is. Quentin the cute neighbor is having none of that! He wants to make it a summer Jade will not forget.

This was a cute contemporary love story that had me interested the whole way through. My only real problem with it was how predictable it was. This is a good beach read that doesn't take a lot of thought or effort.

NetGalley only gave me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review, they did not throw in coffee or wine.

TL;DR – Cute summer romance, but the love interest seems overly mature and there’s some things that don’t really make sense regarding the secondary characters. Still a fun read though.

Right off the bat I really liked Jade. There’s just something about her that’s inherently likable. I thought it was refreshing how she recognized that she had a lot of freedom with her mom but that her Aunt Julie would operate by a different set of rules. Jade really seems to have her head on straight and I felt like she was very sensitive and patient with her aunt. Quentin is also a likable character–I don’t know how the author managed to make him so dang charming, but he really is. My only issue with him (and with a plethora of other love interests throughout YA) is that he seems too mature. After finishing the book it makes a little more sense why he’s so mature, but I still have a hard time finding that level of maturity believable in a teenage boy regardless of the circumstances–but maybe that’s just me. I also wonder if, all things considered, he would really be as flirtatious as he is? It just seems questionable to me that he would even be open to being in a relationship at this point.

The plot was fine. It’s your typical summer romance so there isn’t so much of a plot per se, but there are a couple of events that the reader knows is coming later in the book. Quentin has one big secret and the reader can anticipate that coming out and how Jade might react. I’m not sure if the reader is supposed to guess the secret so early in the book though? I was able to tell what it was after about a third of the way through. How Jade didn’t see it coming is beyond me.

Secondary characters were fine. Aunt Julie seems a little bit over-exaggerated, but hey, I’ve never been in her situation so maybe she’s pretty normal all things considered. Zoey was a pretty cool character and I wish that we had gotten more time with her and Jade. Something that Sarah Dessen does great is she gives her protagonists these great female friendships and then spends almost as much time developing that relationship as she does with the romantic relationship. I wish there had been more of that in this book.

One thing that really bothered me about the book though, was with the girls from Quentin’s old school. First of all, Quentin said he used to live a couple hours away, so how is Zoey friends with them? Why would they be at a bonfire by where Quentin lives now? And why do they go to the pool where Quentin works? There must be a closer pool that they could go to. So yeah, none of that really made sense. And then, if Zoey’s friends with them, how does she not know Quentin’s secret? And lastly, why the heck is Ashlyn so mean to Jade? It seemed like she was mean for no reason, to be honest. I think the author tries to make it seem like Ashlyn likes Quentin and so she’s jealous of Jade but at the same time it doesn’t really make sense that she would like him for multiple reasons.

Overall, I liked this book quite a bit. I feel like Williams always surprises me with how much I like her books. She’s not quite at Sarah Dessen or Morgan Matson’s level yet, but I could see her getting there. I’m a fan.

Overall Rating: 4
Language: Moderate
Violence: Mild
Smoking/Drinking: Mild
Sexual Content: Mild. Some innuendo.

Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Almost Impossible is Nicole Williams' newest YA romance. I don't read a lot of YA, but I will always read anything Nicole writes. This story just warmed my heart. It was cute, sweet, and funny. Jade wants the normal seventeen year old summer experience and she's going to get it. Sexy neighbor, Quentin, who's sweet and hot and responsible and quiet. But he wants to show her fun and the teenage things she's been missing. Jade doesn't want to like him but he doesn't give her a choice. He pursues her in the cutest way. Not playing coy and doing the dumb teenage boy thing, just out right saying that he likes her and wants to spend time with her. I found him adorable and refreshing! He's keeping a secret, which isn't hard for the reader to figure out, but it didn't deter me from loving this story. It may have been obvious to us, but not to everyone else. They are teenagers. You see what you want to see, what you think is right. No matter how worldly or smart you are. Jade and Quentin have fun conversations that made me smile and remember being young. I absolutely adored this story and these characters. They were just what the other needed in their lives. Quentin thought it was awesome that Jade got to travel and see the world. Jade was envious that Quentin had a house, friends and family around. While they were showing each other how the other lives, they fell for each other. It was a slow, teenage falling that I loved watching. I want more of their story. I loved how it ended, but I'm a lover of epilogues and wouldn't mind seeing these characters again!

A slow smile lifted into place, one side higher than the other, and then he winked.
He winked.

"You can kiss me now if you want to. Just putting that out there."
"I don't want to kiss you. Who do you think I am?"
"Some girl who wants to kiss me."

"Think fate's trying to tell you something?"
"Yeah, I think it is. Try harder."

I adored this book! It was such a sweet and interesting story.

I liked the parallels. I can’t talk about them because it will give away the storyline, but I will say that it was perfect and well thought-out. I felt bad for what Jade went through on her side of the parallel; it was horrible. Quentin was on the opposite spectrum. He was amazing and as he should be. An amazing character!

I loved Jade’s mom! She was so cool and so loving. She wasn’t your typical mom; she was literally a rock star. And though Jade had always lived life on the road, she was more mature than most teenagers and wanted to settle down rather than travel. That doesn’t mean she didn’t make mistakes, because she did.

Her aunt was a bit overbearing. That irked me a lot. At the same time, she had never raised a teenager and had her own assumptions on how Jade had been raised. She was mostly wrong. And you know what they say about assuming. Yeah, that’s how I felt about her. Not my favorite character, but she wasn’t bad either.

I hope Nicole Williams comes back to this story. It reminds me a bit of Lucy and Jude in Crash. And I don’t think anyone could get enough of them. I know I now want to reread their story. Just as I will probably reread Jade and Quentin’s.

4.5 Stars!!!

Wow!! I was not expecting to like this book so much! Nicole's writing is wonderful and I just loved the story. I like to mix YA in every once in awhile with my reading and I highly recommend Almost Impossible. The characters in the book were so mature and yet so relatable as well. I think this is a great book for young adults to read, there is a lesson intermingled in the story and yet it's such a fun & clean read!!

Great job Nicole!

The Quick Cut: A girl spends her summer living in California with her Aunt & Uncle looking for a normal experience. Girl meets boy, who brings more than a little drama (and delinquency).

A Real Review:
Thank you to Crown Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jade has had anything but a typical childhood. She's been to thirty one countries, never had a home address, and she hasn't even turned 18 yet. This is the lifestyle she's lived though and considering her mom is the lead singer for the band named the Shrinking Violets, it's the life that likely to not stop anytime soon.

For the next three months though, Jade is getting the chance at normalcy by living with her Aunt and Uncle in California. Rather than constantly being on the move with crazy hours, she will instead get to experience regular hours, parental angst, and a summer job. She is more than on board for this type of experience than what she's used to.

Too bad it doesn't last that way. She gets a job working concessions at the local pool scooping out ice cream and giving out hot dogs. It's there that she meets Quentin: a lifeguard hottie with all the right looks who screams all the wrong kind of trouble.

Jade is used to being able to do what she wants and having no limitations, but that's not the life she signed up for this summer. So when she meets Quentin and suddenly borders are placed on her abilities to make plans, Jade finds herself breaking rules and crossing lines - things she's never done before. Is she asking for trouble or just taking advantage of the summer she wanted?

Jade is an interesting combination of likeable and odd. She's a total hippie lifestyle wise with constantly being on the road due to her mom and the way she even dresses, but they almost take this a step too far with the vegan thing. It feels a bit too much of a stereotype here and it kind of bothered me. I did love the Gilmore Girls vibe though between her and her mom - that drama with her dad was very well written. It bonded not only Jade with Quentin, but also with her mom even more.

Quentin turned out to be a far more layered character than I expected him to be. He starts out as your typical YA romance "get out and enjoy life!" teen and turns out to be a guy with some pretty intense stuff going on. This starts to come to light at the bonfire where Jade's clothes suddenly end up "disappearing" (and this is why I don't miss high school). As much as I love his backstory, I would've loved a longer playout of this. They really just spill this out in the last 20 pages and wrap it up way too fast - it feels rushed.

A quick, summer read that's fun and flirty - this story will have you smiling and rooting for Jade as she strives to enjoy a typical life.

Jade is a teenager, but at seventeen, she’s never lived the ‘normal life’ of a teen. Her mom is a popular musician and she’s spent all her youth traveling around. She’s seen a lot, but never felt rooted anywhere. She decides to spend the summer before her senior year with her aunt and have a real teenage experience. She gets a job, she makes a friend, she meets a boy….

Jade and Quentin didn’t expect to hit it off the way they did, but they had chemistry straight away. I liked both of the main characters a lot. I thought Jade was great, and Quentin was a stand-up guy. If only it wasn’t so predictable for me personally I think this book could have been a huge win for me.



Almost Impossible is a sweet summer romance.I enjoyed reading this book, though I wished I would have not guessed the secret so early on in the book. It felt like I knew exactly what was going on and just waiting on the other shoe to drop. Also, I wish there were a few more chapters at the end, or an epilogue. For me, it felt like it ended a little too quickly after things were resolved. I love Nicole William’s writing and overall this was a quick, fun, and entertaining read for me!

Overall, this was a cute YA book, which introduces engaging characters and an interesting, if not terribly unique, plot. I think, if I'm honest, it won't stand out as being terribly memorable, but that is not to say it wasn't a nice read now.

This was a cute YA summer romance with a twist. Said twist I'm speaking of I figured half way through the book. But all these characters are lovable and the two MC's are just plain adorable.

Almost Impossible is about seventeen year old Jade spending her first summer away from her mom. It had always been Jade and her mom from day one. Jade grew up seeing the world. She experienced things most people never got to do in their lives. Her mother is in a band that is touring internationally this summer. Rather than go on tour Jade chose to stay with her aunt.

Nicole expresses the characters feelings and emotions with words that are honest and heartfelt. This is about Jade growing into her own being. Jades given an opportunity to prove how responsible and trustworthy she can be be with her aunt. All her life had been about the adventures on the road with her mom. It was time for Jade to explore life on her own and begin venturing into the adult world. But first she needed to understand her family roots.

Nicole wrote a sweet young adult story. Jade and Quintin are responsible seventeen year olds who meet at the pool.

Almost Impossible had that “the grass is always greener” notion. Jade lived the life most envied, yet she was envious of those who got to live as a normal teenager. That is until she made her wish come true and she got to experience the way typical teenagers live.

Jade was in the middle of two different spectrums. Her mother being a lenient and trusting parent while her aunt and uncle were strict and cautious. Jade had to find an equal medium to please both sides.
Nicole did a good job at illustrating how responsible teenagers behave and the importance of family.
I’ve read just about every book Nicole has written. She is an excellent writer who executes great stories. I always find her characters relatable. Nicole puts her characters into real life situations which is why I enjoy her books.

I enjoyed reading Jade's story. This was a good story about a girl looking for a change of pace in her life style before heading into her senior year. She finds herself meeting new people in realizing what it is like to live in one place with family who are not used to being on the road. Though I thought this was an quick and fun to read YA book, I figured out what was going to be revealed pretty quickly. Jade is an enjoyable character and Quentin is as well, I was a little surprised it took her so long to figure out what was really going on. Over all I did enjoyed this book and I think that it is a good young adult read.