It Had to Be You

Coming into this book I was not expecting whole lot. Just another love story gone bad, then they end up together because of love. I barely read romance because I feel like every story is the same and nothing changes. which makes the story predictable from the beginning, but....

I was WRONG about this story! This is your typical love story, but it was written so uniquely and so many twist that had me wondering if they were really going to be together in the end. I loved the writing style, the duo POV'S of the two main characters, and the change you see in the end from each character. 

Edelweiss, daughter of a US diplomat, traveled all over the world and never experienced the physical school life. To get better recommendations for her college resume, she convinced her parents to put her in a high known school. This private school was dormed and coed, but there were serious amount of rules. Edel's first day and she was trampled by James Patterson, the bad boy, who is her dads best friends son. Not knowing of who he was, they were already late and James helped her sneak into the student assembly without getting caught or so they thought. Everyone knew about there entrance and James ex best friends, Emma, had it set out for Edel since then. As the story unfolds, there are twist, untold secrets, and conflicts between characters. A fake relationship was proposed, would feelings get in the way of the perfect "fake" love?

**4.5 

I have to say, I loved this book. When I first started reading it, I was unsure. I figured it was going to be a cliche romance book. And it was! But it was in the best way. I couldn't put this down. Because it was an ebook, I was unsure if I would be able to sit down and actually read it. I started it while doing dishes. Needless to say, I was up all night reading it. I couldn't put it down. I was so engrossed in the romance. 

The issue I had with it - which isn't even really a problem with this book specifically - was that the lack of communication caused all sorts of issues. And even then, it worked out. 

The characters were fleshed out enough for this story to work but not too much that describing the characters was overbearing and took over the story.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. If you're looking for a guilty pleasure read, pick this up. 

*I'll have a full review going up closer to its release date*

4.5

Extraordinarily good YA romance. Interracial and very sweet.

This review is based on the ARC provided by the author and/or the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was a highly enjoyable to read. Going from a fake relationship to a real one is not exactly a new concept for a story but it is absolutely well done and reading their story you just get it. They belong together and they have to get there for real.

James and Edelweiss just wanted to prevent James from getting pulled out of school when they agreed on their scheme of a fake relationship. Well, somehow it felt too right and even though Edelweiss has to catch up on all things school-related due to her unusual upbringing  and James, well, he has to catch up on being a boyfriend. All his experience with girls hasn't exactly prepared him for the real deal. Even if it faked. Or not. 
A potpourri of jealous ex-girlfriends, complicated families, lost siblings, gerat friends and some wonderful parents later, James and Edelweiss have to decide where they'll go from there - trust and try for the real thing or break off. 

I loved the different characters, the wonderful friends, the loving families and I really loved James and Edelweiss together. The story is entertaining, captivating and well written. 

What I also liked is the way it dealt with the ethnic differences, namely the fact that James is black and Edelweiss is white. I loved that it is the white girl who has been living in New Delhi for a long time and not her roommate who has indian roots. Edelweiss. a white american girl with the name of a flower that grows in the Alpes and represents Europe and folklore has traveled and lived almost everywhere, She doesn't judge and she doesn't care whether somebody is black or white or  - well, whatever. 
Black and white  - this is a recurring theme in this book. Writing an essay about a book, the color of someone's skin makes a difference in his preception of certain things in the book, the different color of the skin makes people doubt that someone is relatied to the other and so on. It is never openly discussed as a problem just as "something", as an awareness.

A great book, sweet and romantic with its fair share of  beastly ex-girlfriends and their likes  and great characters. Oh, and those parents? I'll take them. Right. Now.

I found this to be a very quick read. The story is about pretending to date someone. I felt that the writer did not develop the secondary characters enough to add to the story. It made it seem like you could not connect with them. I also found this to be quick read. This was a fun story filled with lovable main character and tons of humor.

** ARC provided by author in exchange for honest review **

It Had To Be You by Lizzy Charles is a young adult, fake boyfriend/girlfriend high school romance that is sweet with a little bit of drama. James and Edelweiss both need each other to survive a year at the Academy but got so much more than they were expecting.

Edelweiss, daughter of an Ambassador is a junior who has been homeschooled her whole life. In preparation for college her mom agrees to enroll her in Brockmore Academy a co-ed boarding school. Edelweiss has compiled a list of 62 items to do before college such as fail at something and pick myself up, be a math tutor, and get a boyfriend and break up with him. Turns out high school is not what Edelweiss expected so she proposes a plan to James to be her fake boyfriend so they can help each and help her cross some items off her list. James and Edelweiss's father are old friends so they had some common ground. James is a senior, football star, prankster and all the girls in the Academy are lining up to date him. James spent the summer proving he has changed but when he gets in trouble with his dad he immediately says he’s dating Edelweiss. Of course everything becomes complicated. 

Will lines be blurred, that it becomes difficult to tell what’s fake and real?
Who will fall in love first?

Ms. Charles crafted a well written young adult book that was sweet and had a good amount high school drama. The characters had so many lies throughout the story that they came crashing down on them as fast as they started. Ms. Charles had a lot of story lines that seemed separate at the time but easily flowed together, connecting all the story lines. Edelweiss and James were fighting to prove something to themselves and their parents, which had them facing many obstacles. The story was enjoyable. Edelweiss and James where both stubborn that had me asking a lot of questions but when they reached there HFN of story it was all worth it.


4 stars

cute quick read

It Had to Be You (Brokemore Academy, #1)
Lizzy Charles 
Book Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
 It had to be you is a sweet romance set in a boarding school. Edelweiss has been home schooled, but she would like to have a high school experience before she goes to college. Her parents agree to send her to Brockmore Academy. She makes a list of events she would like to experience. From the second she arrives her rollercoaster ride begins. It's more than she expected.


James literally stumbles into the new girl and finds she's the answer to his prayers. He needs to keep his head down and get on with his work this year, but he has a small problem. He has an addiction to playing pranks. It's like an itch that has to be scratched. He needs to settle down, but trouble has a way of following him around. 


This book has the typical popular guy, the mean girl and mystery best friends. It's sweet, it's funny, and it's about personal growth. 


4 stars out of 5.


*I received It had to be you in exchange for a fair review*

Lizzy Charles has created a sweet cliché romance by showing the beauty in interracial relationships. It’s one of those ‘junk food’ books you read for a guilty pleasure, not because you’re trying to have some kind of an epiphany.
 
Charles developed her characters well within her story but not to the point you’d lose interest. She even managed to show the pitfalls miscommunication or lack of it can have on a relationship. Shockingly Charles even gave her character some backbone by making them take personal responsibility for being less than perfect.
 
The point of views become a real treat to the reader as you’re able to get the story fleshed out with distinctly different personalities. It’s a very short story so you can easily finish it in an afternoon and receive a pleasant break from life in the process. Her book flows well and even if some of it feels like it’s been recycled from every other romance novel or cheesy teen drama, Charles has a great writing style that’s all her own so you still end up feeling glad you spent your time with it.

I received a copy of this book from Entangled Teen through Netgalley for review.

It Had To Be You is another cute romance put out by Entangled Teen.  I loved Edel.  She was naive, but really strong.  She fit in quickly without being around kids her own age much before going to her boarding school.  James had his issues, but was sweet and smart.  What really stood out to me in the book was their friends.  I really hope we see more of them in the next book.  Edel had the best parents, too.  I love good parents in YA books.