How Willa Got Her Groove Back

TITLE. How Willa Got Her Groove Back AUTHOR. Emily McKay PUBLISHER. Entangled: Crush RELEASE DATE. 22 February 2016 PAGES. 258  FORMAT. Ebook GENRE. Young Adult, Romance  Thanks to Entangled: Crush for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book !

SUMMARY.
When your life feels like a bad movie, rewrite the script. 

When Willa Schofer’s father comes home from a business trip with an über-famous new fiancée, Willa’s senior year blows up in paparazzi-fueled flames. Overnight, she has a new house, a new car, and a new soon-to-be stepbrother—the unbelievably hot, unbelievably arrogant, Finn McCain. Thank god he’s constantly pushing her buttons, or she might do something irresponsible. Like fall for the jerk. 

Just when Willa’s decided to avoid him for, oh, ever, Finn lands in the center of her senior project team. Seriously—how hard is it to shake a guy? At least her work on the project snagged the attention of the (second) hottest guy in school. He might only be into her because of her famous stepmom, and he’s not quite as exciting as a certain annoying housemate, but at least she’s allowed to crush on the guy. 

Because crushing on your annoying stepbrother? So not cool.

STANDALONE or SERIES.
This is the second instalment of the Creative HeArts series. This book has different main characters, but is still located at Austin and Austin’s NextGen Academy. 

WHY this BOOK.
I saw it on NetGalley and Creative HeArts rang a bell.. so I checked it on Goodreads, and turned out it was a sequel to Ten Things Sloane Hates About Tru ! I really enjoyed that book and had no idea there was going to be a sequel !! Luckily I got accepted, and read it right away.

FIRST THOUGHTS.
How mean !!! I was totally expecting a closed ending ! But nooo.. to be continued. Pfft !! I really wanted to know how it was going to end between them... But when I noticed I was at almost 90% and it still didn’t seem to go in the right direction  I was kind of curious. I would have hated it if at the ending things would go too fast. I didn’t want her to cut corners. So I did get what I wanted.. in some way. Grrr.. I want more !

EMOTION.  It was not the most emotional read I’ve had, (can’t help to compare it to Cinder & Ella that I read last week that had me blubbering all over the place XD) but I was rooting for them ! I got kind of mad sometimes about how Willa was treated, I hate injustice ! And sad how Finn’s life has been and what made him who he is. But I did feel with them, and I could sympathise, so that’s overall a better emotion then crying ^^  

MAIN CHARACTERS.
I really liked the main female character, Willa. She is so funny, stubborn and strong. I think I would have completely blown up a couple of times if it happened to me, but she stayed (on the outside at least) calm through most of it. She cares so much about the people close to her, I loved that about her. She was very relatable and I got her.  I just love Finn, he is so complex ! He grew up being the son of a very popular movie star , but he doesn’t act like a cliché son. He doesn’t act out a lot and keeps things together. He is very protective of his mother and I adored that about him.. Even though he acts like a though guy, there are some cracks in his shield and I for one am curious if it will break in the next instalment.   And ! There was CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT !! I know, that doesn’t always happen.. but especially Willa (and Finn as well) changed throughout the story and grew more accepting. Great ! 

SECONDAIRY CHARACTERS.  Not only did Emily McKay let me sympathise with the main characters, but she also got me really into the side characters. Like Mariely and Jacen, Hamish, Damien.. I’m am very curious about their stories and what is going on in their lives ! I hope there will come books about them as well !!
Also about their parents, because they both love their parents very much and want to protect them you kind of feel with them too.  

PLOT.
Even though the plot is not very complex, the ending was !! It is your basic girl meets boy, they fall in love quickly but deny it and act out on each other instead of giving in to their feelings.. but in the end they get together  Nope.. in the end we still don’t know if they will get together and Willa is more into someone else !! Quite the surprise for me..  I liked the pace of the book, steady and full of humour. 

ROMANCE.  Ohh how I wanted that they just gave in and got together !! There is SO MUCH tension between them, so wonderful ! I really like that ! They had some moments that were just woow.. full of excitement if this would be the time they finally gave in.. I was so angry at the ending haha..
But it was not the most romantic young adult, the relationship with their parents and the anger towards them played a bigger part. I do thinks this will be explored more in the next one.

THE BAD.
Even though I was sympathising with the main characters, and I got them.. I did not have a strong connection with them. I kind of missed that. Otherwise, just a great read ! 

FAVORITE QUOTES.
“Oh, I can’t actually see the color of his eyes. It’s too dark for that. But his eyes are definitely blue. Guys like this always have blue eyes. The better to pierce our souls with.”
.
“Nothing ever happens the way it does in the movies. Or books for that matter.
In fiction, if there’s a big knock-down, drag-out fight, you can bet there’s some kind of resolution afterwards. The denouement. Or at the very least, a moment of reflection.
However, in real life, sometimes, after a big fight, you just walk back into the party and someone hands you a cup full of Sprite and you try like hell to act normally. Sometimes, all of that happens even though you’re quietly dying inside. I love that in fiction, you get resolution. And I hate that tonight, I just have to suck it up and act like this kind of drama is normal.” 
.

FINAL THOUGHTS.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself with this one. It was a quick read with not even 300 pages, but it did not seem to cut short. Mostly of course, because Willa and Finn’s story will continue in another part. Which sucks, because I want to know what’s going to happen NOW !! I would recommend this one, it is very entertaining and full of humour. So I would like to give it 4 Freyja’s. What I would suggest though, is that you read Ten Things I Hate About Sloane first, because that is an awesome story as well and you shouldn’t miss out on it !

4 “Forbidden love is my kryptonite” STARS

ARC via NetGalley

Thank you, Entangled Teen Crush!!

First of all, let’s take a moment to appreciate the title. HOW WILLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK is a great title – the kind that makes you stop and take notice. So that’s reason #1 I requested this title. Reason #2? The blurb and premise. The promise of a great story with the “forbidden love” trope. That’s like 4 reasons now, huh? Oh, well…

Good news: the book didn’t disappoint.

Meet Willa, wanna-be novelist and daughter of a cinematographer who’s used to meeting celebrities and Hollywood stars. What she’d not used to is her dad bringing one home and announcing he’s about to marry her. To makes matters worse, her future stepmother isn’t just any celebrity; she’s one of the most famous actresses in the world. 

But Willa’s biggest fear isn’t the paparazzi following her stepmother’s (and now Willa’s) every move. She actually fears how her father will handle the break up once famous-actress-stepmother decides to leave him and breaks his heart, because Willa is convinced she eventually will. After all, the woman is known for her tumultuous love life.

And famous-actress-stepmother isn’t coming into her family on her own – she’s also bringing in her son, Finn. And that’s a problem because Finn is hot (HOT, HOT) and a bit of a jackass. One Willa can’t stop thinking about, even though she should because he’s about to become her stepbrother soon.

So, you see, Willa’s life is about to change and become a whole lot more difficult – which, let’s be honest, is what we wanted all along because DRAMA!

Although the premise allowed for many chances at external conflict (and there were some), I believe the author made the right choice by focusing on Willa and Finn’s internal conflicts.

Willa had many fears, but her concern for her father was the thing that made me like her instantly. She truly cared and loved her dad. Although his decision to marry a Hollywood actress only three months after meeting her was reason enough for Willa to go “Oh, no you won’t!”, she didn’t approve of her dad’s marriage idea because she saw it as a real threat to him. She wanted to protect him from another heartbreak, and that made her extremely likable.

The same goes for Finn. I don’t approve of his methods, but when he chooses to convince Willa to be on board with the wedding, he does it thinking it’s a way to protect his mother. So although I know his secret will eventually come out and ruin it all, I hope Willa sees it the same way as I do. 

Finn is willing to protect his mother, the same way Willa wants to protect her dad. They’re good kids, and I love that about them.

Aside from the whole parent-child dynamic, Finn and Willa’s interactions also made this a great story. I wasn’t a huge fan of the way the author decided to write the dual POV (one is first person and the other is third), but I was happy to be inside Finn’s head for a while.

The chemistry between Willa and Finn and the “forbidden” element were there, as well as a little “hate-to-love”. When you put two of my favorite romance tropes together, and you do it well, you have a win. The pacing also worked for me. I always want the tension and the “should we or shouldn’t we” feeling to last as long as it can, because that makes the next step much more gratifying.

Of course I wasn’t truly expecting it to last past this book, because I went into this thinking it’d be a standalone. But guess what? It isn’t!!! Although there’s no indication of that on Goodreads or anywhere else (WHY????), this is the first book in a series that will follow Willa and Finn’s life (though I have no idea how many more the author is planning to write). 

On one hand, this made the ending a bit disappointing because it felt like it came out of nowhere. On the other hand, since there’s a sequel coming, I approve of where the story ended because of what I said above – I want the tension to last, plus I see potential for more conflict now that Finn and Willa will be leaving under the same roof and fighting their feelings for each other.

I can’t wait for the next book, to be honest.

If you’re looking for a good YA Contemporary, you should definitely check this one out.

Review scheduled for February 22nd on the blog, Goodreads and Amazon.

The second book in the ambitious Creative HeArts 12-book series, How Willa Got Her Groove Back features Willa and Finn, two 18 (or nearly 18)-year-olds thrust together by virtue of their parents' recent engagement, and their mutual distrust of the situation. 

Finn's mother, Mia, is a famous actress, so the fledgling relationship comes with a new set of life rules for Willa. Namely, trust no one, expect the paparazzi everywhere, and bye-bye most of your old life (e.g, your childhood house!). 

I felt Willa's frustration. She's been forced into a situation entirely out of her control, and a lot of the things she thought she could trust and rely on are being stripped away. I really enjoyed reading how she tries to cope, how she tries to protect herself, and how she so genuinely wants good things for her father, despite what it's costing her.

From Finn's side, he's a lot more cynical than Willa. He's got a lot of good qualities, namely being protective of his mom, and then Willa by extension. His frustration with the adults for not doing a better job of preparing and protecting Willa put me on his side for much of the book. Unfortunately, he does seem to lack a bit of depth. I didn't get a great sense of what his life was like before his mom and Willa's dad's relationship brought to Austen. I didn't get a sense of what he actually wants to do with his life, beyond his current short-term goal.

So, given that I loved Willa and thought Finn was decent, why only 3.5 stars for How Willa Got Her Groove Back?  Because of the book's ending. 

As the second of twelve books in the Creative Hearts series, and the first of a trilogy for Willa and Finn, I get that even a happy-for-now ending for Willa and Finn might be rushing things. Totally fine! But I wasn't satisfied with the way *any* of Willa's plot lines were left, and because Finn seems so entirely wrapped up in those plot lines, he didn't add to my satisfaction. It's basically a cliffhanger ending but without a sense of urgency to really hook me or sense of temporary satisfaction to make me smile and want more.

Again the positive sides, I love the Creative Hearts setting--the school is awesome. The development of the senior creative project is really cool (a plot that arcs across all the books). Though some characters from the first book are present in this one, it's not necessary to have read book one to read book two. You'll get tiny spoilers, but nothing major is revealed. I think there's so much potential here, and maybe when I can read all the books together in a week or two, I'll be more satisfied with this one?

Bottom line:
I really like the idea of How Willa Got Her Groove Back, and of the series, and I'm curious to see how it all pans out. But if you think you might get hooked by this series/book, I'd suggest waiting to read this one until closer to November, when the next Willa-Finn book is due for release, so you don't have to wait too long for some resolution.

3.5 stars (probably a 4-4.5 star book that I'm dinging for the ending)
For fans of YA, writers, Hollywood (unintentional theme for the week!)

hate cliffhangers, but this was a decent read......until the next part comes

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley.)

“Your life is different now,” he said. “Forever.”

This was an okay story about a girl whose father get engaged to a movie star.

I could see why Willa was so bent out of shape in this book, as it did seem like her father was rushing into this new marriage, and even letting his own beliefs shift a bit to compensate for the new woman in his life. I think she could have maybe sat down with him and talked to him though, and even maybe given the new wife a chance.

The storyline in this was mainly Willa moaning about the new wife, and there wasn’t much romance at all which was a real shame. I felt like this possible attraction between Willa and Finn could have been explored a lot more, and instead absolutely nothing happened on the romance front at all.

The ending to this was quite surprising because I didn’t realise that we wouldn’t get an end to the story, and that the story would continue on in another book. I really hope that the sequel has some romance in it though!
6 out of 10

What just happened? Seriously. What. The. Heck. Just. Happened.

I went into this book thinking it's a cutesy, romantic, light read that would entertain me and satisfy me with an HEA. And it is. But without the HEA. Damn. I was played. Played I tell you.  What happened you ask? Well... This book is not a standalone! I repeat this is NOT a standalone!! I was perfectly content on Finn and Willa being adorable and cute and cuddly and it ends! It just ends! One moment I was blissfully happy just lounging and reading and I turn the last page on this book and I'm greeted by the Acknowledgments section and... And... I don't think I've ever been this frustrated over a book's ending before. It should at least come with a warning sign: "Not a standalone. Prepare to be frustrated with the ending." Or at the very least Goodreads could have warned me. I trusted you Goodreads. Why? Why did you have to let me down now?!
You just broke my heart Emily McKay. Broke it and stomped on it, put it back together and broke it again. I don't think I'll ever recover..
#NothingLikeNotKnowingTheBookYoureReadingIsNotAStandalone

*sigh*

How Willa Got Her Groove Back (man that's a lot of words) is a perfect blend of romance, drama, humor, teenage angst and sass. I flew through the whole thing because it was too good of a book to put down. I was already halfway through it and I didn't even notice. 

I LOVE Emily McKay's writing. I wouldn't have cared if nothing substantial happened. Her words are pure magic and I just wanted to get lost in them. 

Emily created such complex, intriguing characters you would root for and love.  Willa is a relatable heroine. I get her anal personality and her fear of change. I'm like that. I want to be prepared and know what I'm facing because I get lost and fumble when I'm caught off guard. Moving to a new house, having a new mom, possibly sharing the bathroom with your new (and hot) stepbrother and have you followed by the paparazzi - that's a lot for any teenage girl to take in at once. Willa was one stubborn girl though. She's also quick- witted, smart and extremely determined with a flare for the dramatic at times. I just wish she didn't take that long to come out of her pity party. She was blaming everything on everyone and she was always so angry. I wanted to shake some sense into her a few times. But I think she's an amazing person who loves so wholly. I love her love for her dad. I rarely see that kind of fatherly love expressed in YA novels. Most of the time parents are on the sidelines. Which is untrue in real life. Because if I've learned anything at all, it's that our parents will always have the biggest part in who we become.
I like the focus the author put on family. (I don't think this would have been as powerful a novel if it weren't for that.) It wasn't just a cutesy and fluffy book. It had the right amount of drama to make it realistic (because who doesn't have drama?) and life lessons about self-acceptance and forgiveness.

And oh crap this is turning out to be a lengthy review. So let me just say that this was a wonderful read. I didn't expect it to have a sequel but I'm glad it does because MORE FINN! Finn is... I don't get Finn. But from what I saw he's sweet and loving and loyal and protective and that scene about the telescope? I just wanted to hug him.
I'm not big on the whole "I'm falling for my stepbrother/stepsister" cliche but the author wrote it in such a way that you would root for the characters and just want them to be happy no matter the ending. I'm looking forward to how Finn and Willa's relationship will evolve. And also to their own personal growth.

I think Willa's dad was kind of a douche at the beginning. I understood where he's coming from though. I don't think much about Mia. I just hope it ends well for her too. Damien is a little suspicious. I feel fishy about him. And Willa's gang reminds me of The Big Bang Theory. Does anyone else feel this way?    I cannot wait to see where the author will take these characters to next.

I highly recommend this!

I received an e-arc to read and review.

Oh. My. God.  I can't even!  This book was so good! I wasn't sure what to expect from it, but oh my God the feels I felt!  I loved Willa, I connected to her so easily, and I'm so insanely jealous of her book shelves! She has the dream bookshelves, not going to lie! I really, really felt for her. She has this really good relationship with her dad, except for a few issues, and he suddenly shows up after being away like oh hey, I'm engaged, meet her RIGHT NOW! She's an actress and you're gonna have to move out of the only house you've ever lived in and be hunted down by paparazzi. I felt SO angry on her behalf, her dad was being such a douche! 

Then there's Finn. The soon to be step brother. I couldn't make my mind up on him, he'd be really sweet and adorable and he obviously had chemistry with Willa, they cleary like each other, but then Finn would be a total douche. I was surprised by the whole thing with Finn because I wasn't sure what the deal between the two of them would be, but he was struggling with it and it made him act insane towards Willa and while I could understand Finn's feelings and how he was reacting to stuff....Willa is my fave and he was being a douche! 

We get both characters POV which I loved, but there'd be some scenes and I'd be like....now give us Finn so we can see the aftermath from his POV.....GIVE ME FINN! I liked the switches, you where never sure if you where about to get some Finn insight, and both characters had such entertaining narratives. 

I loved the location and the setting, I'd love to have gone to a school like NextGen it sounds awesome! I loved Willa's friends, they where a lively and entertaining bunch and there's clearly a hell of a lot more going on with some of them than meets the eye! 

I need to mention Damien as well, because I just can't decide if he's a really good actor and Finn is right about him and what he's up to...or if he's actually genuine. Like I want him to be genuine, I spend the entire book liking him but at the same time waiting for the other shoe to drop with him so I'm intrigued to see what's going to happen. 

The pace was fast, and as the percent of the book read kept going up and up...I started to panic. Nothing was getting resolved, so many things where left hanging and I was like "Omg what's going on?! Is there no endgame couple!? What is happening!?" then the book finished. In a perfect place, but still. AND THEN IT'S CASUALLY LIKE "OH HEY BOOK TWO IS OUT IN NOVEMBER" Book Two?! NOVEMBER?! I had no idea that there was a sequel to this and it'd be told in two parts, and that the wait is until November! I was just like OMG NOOOOO I NEED TO KNOW NOW! 

But yeah, I completely loved the book, it made me laugh, it gave me the warm and fuzzies and it was freaking brilliant!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book.

This was a fun teen book about a girl, Willa , who was living a great life with her dad.  A life that was going as planned until her dad fell in love and got engaged to a movie star in three short months.  Not only does Willa have to deal with a new step mom to be, but she has Finn, a super hot guy and step brother to be, that she can't help but have feelings for.  It's a cute story and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens, not only with Willa and Finn, but all the other characters in the book.  Willa's friends are interesting and I'm hoping they get developed more in the books to come.

First of all, I really wanna thank Netgalley, Entangled Publishing LLC and Entangled: Crush for giving me a chance to read this book. I found this book on Netgalley (obviously) and it got me instantly. Why? The synopsis just screamed drama and I actually really love drama. I requested the book and I hoped for the best: I got the book!

I well-estimated  this book because gosh what a drama! Everything was a big deal in a positive way, not annoying but incredibly fun to read. Because what is more fun than falling in love with your stepbrother? Exactly, I don’t know too...

I think the change of the main characters is done very nice. You’re sure they like each other, because nothing is better than a story with two main characters who are crushing on each other. Otherwise you have to endlessly fanatasize if the feeling is mutual because you only know how one person feels.

I find it hilarious that they hate each other but at the same time they’re awfully in love and they really don’t want to admit it. Willa keeps telling us over and over again that she wants nothing to do with Finn, but in the meantime she thinks about him like four times on a page. That she doesn’t like Damien (her school crush) as much as she used to and that she keeps comparing him to Finn, I find that really funny.

This also brings me to Finn, because oh my damn, he’s a great protagonist. Not only is he awfully hot (exactly like the synopsis tells us) he also has a lot of confidence. The kind of confidence that isn’t the negative one, no, he’s just incredibly cute when he does those things for Willa. Aaaah *sighs and swoons*

As last (but not least): You shouldn’t think that this book is only about the feelings of Willa and Finn (well for the most of the time it does), but the main reason of this story has to the engagement, oh the drama (and I really mean lots of it!)

Eventually I really enjoyed this book, even when I think the end is just really stupid. I prefer the cliché endings and well, that wasn’t really the case here. Furthermore, I also found out that this book is one of three which I find quite annoying, I would have preferred this as one book with just a really nice ending. Despite this hiccups, I give How Willa Got Her Groove Back five beautiful stars!

I didn't know what to expect but I ended up loving How Willa Got Her Groove Back. Willa's voice is hilarious and authentic and her reactions and emotions towards all of these semi-unbelievable things happening in her life are great. I love her relationship with her dad (or, at least, pre-Mia, Willa's soon to be stepmother relationship). I liked that she was a writer and that it was an outlet for her to explore her feelings of her mother's death and her relationship with her dad. As a daddy's girl myself, I liked reading how Willa was taking in all these changes, particularly with her dad, and how she develops as a character. 

Likewise, I liked exploring Finn's point-of-view. Much darker and jaded than Willa's, seeing the world, and particularly Willa, through his eyes was interesting and added another layer to their growing relationship. Finn and Willa have wonderful chemistry, friendly and romantic, and watching Finn change, even slightly, because of Willa is wonderful to read and makes me wonder what's going to happen in the next books. 

There is a cast of secondary characters, most noticeably Finn's mother and Willa's dad, but Finn and Willa are the real and rightful stars of this sort-of Hollywood story. Romantic tension between two characters who may become related (my marriage only!) can sometimes become uncomfortable or at least unbelievable, but Emily McKay really makes their friendship and tension believable and fun to read. I can't wait to see where the next book leads, with them all living in the same house and our star characters developing in response to one another.

Fame—what is it? Do you want it? How much does it cost? The synopsis of this book drew me in. I haven’t read the first book in the series—*cringes at negligence*—but I didn’t care (Who are you and what have you done with me?). Anyway, I just finished reading another book where the main character fell in love with her stepbrother, and suffice to say, I wanted to know how different this subject could be. So, I started it immediately after I finished the book I was currently reading when it arrived safe and sound on my Kindle, thus starting the third book of the year with this kind of romance. 

Willa Schofer had a contagious personality. She was funny and witty and knew how to stand her own. The relationship she had with her father intrigued me, since he didn’t spend a lot of time at home. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Willa’s broken relationship with her father, albeit at the beginning of the novel it didn’t appear to be the case. If you’re looking for a book that’s media res without actually being an action book, this one is for you. Willa’s life was thrown in every direction from the first page so fast that she didn’t know how to catch it. There are moments when she got on my nerves, when I agreed with everything that Finn said to her, but I still liked her—I could still relate to her. Change, acceptance, and loss are integral to this story. I loved seeing how each piece of the puzzle fit together and made Willa a new person—though I didn’t agree with her choices. 

Finn—ah, Finn. I want one. I’ve never been one that found motorcycles a must, but, seriously, Katie McGarry and now Emily McKay are making me rethink that. Finn tells his parts of the story in third person, but I still found it easy to connect with him. I liked his voice being different than Willa’s in that aspect, because I could easily switch into who was talking and place myself in their shoes. 

The ending…What? Why did you do that to me, Emily McKay? That can’t be all! Please, please, please tell me there will be more! I got connected to these characters, I got invested in their plights and all of their issues, I wanted more, and when I turned the last page I didn’t believe that it was over, because—well, it can’t be. Nope, I’m not accepting “Yes, it’s over, Moriah” as answer. Find me when you have something else to tell me. Anyway, I can’t wait to see where this series goes. I will be going back and reading the first book in the series. 

When a series is written with multiple authors, I always approach it with slight trepidation. I am willing to give every book in this series a chance, not only because I am a fan of Tera Lynn Childs—I really need to read the first book—but because Emily McKay has convinced me that I need to with Willa’s story. 

I want to go to Austin, engross myself in the city, and wish for love along the way—being the hopeless romantic that I am. While I do not have a ticket to Texas anywhere in sight, and I am Valentine-less in the month of February, I got to pretend for a few chapters!

After picking up this book, I instantly fell in love with the story. I fell in love with Finn’s character. I love how at the start he’s nice and is honest with Willa. I found it interesting how as the book goes on Willa sees him as the jerk, when he really just wants to protect Willa.
I also loved Willa’s character, although I did not really enjoy the fact that through most of the book she purely expressed anger. I did get a bit frustrated with how persistent Willa was with pushing out the changes that were being made to her life. I love the love hate relationship that forms between Finn and Willa.
I cannot wait for the next book!