𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓼𝓲𝓻𝓲 ~ 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂 𝓑𝓪𝓫𝔂 𝓘'𝓶 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼 𝓫𝔂 𝓐𝓻𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓬 𝓜𝓸𝓷𝓴𝓮𝔂𝓼

oh em gee!!!! This book was so good!! You know it was good if you can read it in one sitting..

This book definitely reminds me of XO Kitty (one of my all-time favorite shows). I loved that a majority of this book talked about cats, so it was like romance<cats, but I thought them taking care of the cats was the sweetest thing to read about. I enjoyed reading the mystery letters back and forth and trying to figure out who the other writer was; it was actually kinda fun to do. I LOVED how Lizzie started anonymously writing in the books

Dylan: I LOVED Dylan from the beginning. I enjoyed reading his pov of Lizzie and other things. I also enjoyed learning about Dylan's backstory and figuring out what he is coming from. he is super mysterious at first (well, in my pov), but more during the book. It was nice learning about him.

Lizzie: I wanna live this girl's life.. she is so determined, and I love that about her. She knows what she wants in life, or does she? But I like that she is figuring herself out throughout this book. also i LOVEDDDD Lizzie's friends and how they were always together for each other. I love friends like that.

I know for sure when this book comes out its gonna be a hit. I also love how Jennifer brings fantasy into a romance novel. To be so for real, I barely even know what a "fantasy" book is, but after reading this, it has been added to my vocabulary lol.

This was my first ever Jennifer Chen book I have read, and I can guarantee you, THIS WILL NOT BE THE LASTT!!

I was hooked from the first page and was engaged with the characters during this book. It had that romantic comedy that I was looking for, and enjoyed that the teens connected from their favorite books. It uses the concept perfectly and that the characters were everything that I wanted, and worked well in the storyline. I was glad it was so well written and wanted to read more from Jennifer Chen.

Checking You Out is every book lover's dream Meet-Cute! Lizzie and her friends are preparing for their big road trip before they go off to different colleges. In the mean time, there's lots of time for reading, eating and taking care of adorable "bottle-feeders". Lizzie spends every minute she's not with her friends volunteering at the LA Best Friends, bottle feeding kittens and encouraging adopters. Not looking for love, but willing to act on a crush or two, Lizzie finds herself finally asking the literature loving Henry out on a date. Her feelings for Henry are complicated when she begins a relationship via letters left in books at the library with "Fantasy Friend". These letters take her on a journey to find her soulmate. She takes a slight detour, however, as she begins a working relationship with the cute new volunteer at Best Friends, Dylan. He is completely wrong for her. He is a tennis jock who enjoys hiking and hates books! Throughout the summer Lizzie learns that looks can be deceiving and that leaving yourself open to new things can lead to your dreams coming true.
This YA novel is full of joy, books and kittens. I highly recommend it for 14-16 year olds.

If only I had three best friends that loved books as much as Lizzie and her friends do. The author's love for Los Angeles comes through in this book. The plot reminds me a lot of "You've Got Mail." Two people writing anonymous notes to each other in books. Falling for each other through letters and working together at an animal shelter without realizing the other is their letter writer. One is open with her love of fantasy novels while the other hides it in fear of being teased. As they both graduate high school, Lizzie must learn to be brave and be open to new experiences and people. Dylan in turn learns that the best way to move across the world is by being true to himself and letting others get to know the person he really is.

This was an enjoyable audiobook to listen to on my drive home. Both narrators were clear and entertaining. I could picture the characters they were portraying in my mind. Nothing felt rushed despite listening at a higher speed.

5 out of 5 stars
YA Romance/Coming of Age
Checking You Out is a charming YA rom-com that follows two teens falling in love through notes tucked inside library books. This is everything I want from a YA romance book, I was a fan of both the main characters and was rooting for them not just as a couple but as individuals as well. This is my first time reading this author but I'm going to go check out more of her work.

This was everything you would expect from a YA book but delivers a fresh and modern story that is no way played out.A delightfully sweet and adorable YA rom com!

This book was adorable!
Lizzie and Dylan meet volunteering at a cat rescue. Lizzie thinks she can't ever be attracted to someone who doesn't look books as much as she does, but Dylan is afraid to admit how much he likes the same fantasy books as her due to bullying incidents at his own school. When secret notes are exchanged in library books, they find themselves drawn to each other without knowing it!
What I liked about this book was the support system all the characters had and how they were there for each other. Lots of young adult themes are explored: young love, bullying, what makes a good friend, and future plans. And of course I loved the themes of books, libraries and being yourself!

Lizzie is an unashamed book nerd who loves hanging out with her fellow book nerd friends. Their regular, weekly book club-ish get together (where they meet at the library to read stacks of their own favorite types of books, instead of reading and discussing the same book together) is the highlight of her week!

The only thing Lizzie loves more than books is her volunteer work with the kittens at her local animal shelter. This is where she meets Dylan, the cute new volunteer who is adorable with the cats (and just in general). He's sweet and funny, and would be so crush worthy if he wasn't a jock who would rather hike or play tennis than pick up a book. Lizzie could never love a non-reader!

When Lizzie discovers that someone who frequents the library is checking out all of her favorite fantasy books, her friends convince her to start leaving notes in the books she loves for her "literary soul mate" to find. And he replies, leaving her clues and hints to his favorite books.

.Of course Dylan is Lizzie's mystery book-loving friend. (This is not a spoiler--it's literally a part of the trope and laid out quite early in the book.) Dylan was bullied for his love of fantasy novels so much at his old school that he's afraid to disclose it to Lizzie or anyone else. But he'll have to reveal his heart if he wants to have a chance with Lizzie!

I love the "secret pen pen pals," "soul mates with a misunderstanding that keeps them apart," and "mystery scavenger hunt" tropes! This book gives me the same vibes as the movie "You've Got Mail," or the Broadway musical "She Loves Me." These are two of my absolute favorites in their categories!! but without the "I think we're enemies" start of the relationship. Dylan and Lizzie aren't rivals. In fact, they work together extremely well right from his very first shift at the shelter. But Dylan's fear of letting anyone see his true self, and Lizzie's determined belief that no one outside of her limited book centric world could be worthy of her time, threatens to keep them apart.

I love this twist on my favorite tropes, and I wanted to root for Lizzie and Dylan from the start!