Jennifer Echols Week: Forget You + Major Crush

It's Jennifer Echols Week! I decided to participate in this awesome feature hosted by Katelyn from Tales of Books and Bands because, like her, I adore this woman's writing too.  She's one of the first authors I will recommend when someone is wanting a steady dose of conflict, tension, and addictive writing.

Instead of choosing just one of her books to highlight, I thought I'd choose two that aren't necessarily the ones you hear about first - they also happen to be among my favorites.  I hope this post entices more readers to pick up a Jennifer Echols novel - be prepared to fall in love & have the urgency to reread (I may have done the same, once or twice).

FORGET YOU by Jennifer Echols
add to goodreads | read my review

This was my second Echols books to read, but it was my first of her's that I absolutely fell in love with.  Most fans begin with Going Too Far, which yes -- is absolutely wonderful! -- but it was FORGET YOU that stole my heart.

Zoey wants the world to see her as the perfect put-together girl, instead of the mess she's become inside due to her father's newfound love with a twenty-something year old and her mother's overdose because she can't deal.  In one night her perfect facade begins to crack, and she can't remember the details -- except for Doug being there, the one boy she least likely expected to rescue her.  In an effort to put her life back together before anyone notices, she's forced to lean on Doug to help her with the details.  When the truth comes slamming back, everything she thought she knew she could handle breaks away from her, and she's forced to face reality -- as ugly as it may be.

The authentic voice of these characters is what really pulled me in.  Echols has a spot-on writing style of what it's like to be inside the mind of a teenager.  A lot of her stories, especially with this one, pulled me back to a time I could relate to.  The plot flowed so easily, yet kept me flipping the pages, urgently wanting to know what happened next.

If you're looking for an enticing young adult contemporary read filled with heart, tension, laughs, and those swoon-worthy moments, then I highly recommend picking up FORGET YOU.

MAJOR CRUSH by Jennifer Echols
add to goodreads | read my review

When most readers think of Echols, they think of her YA dramas -- and they don't always know about her romantic comedies, that are definitely full of their own drama!  MAJOR CRUSH is definitely a bit deceiving by that cover, so I hope my attention to this book will cause you to rethink what this story is about, and read it for yourself.

Virginia just got cast as the drum major in her high school's band, but she's not doing it alone. Nope! Echols brings the drama with a co-captain named Drew, who just so happens to be a huge distraction for Virginia.  The tension and laughs never stopped between these two, and I adored their interactions so much.  This contemporary is the perfect mix of Echols' writing, full of wit and charm, diving just a tad below the surface to deliver some swoon-worthy substance.

So if you've been on the fence about this one, or have yet to even know about it, I hope my love for this novel entices you to give it a chance.  It's the perfect read (especially for this summer) when you're needing a pallet cleanse from all those dystopian/apocalyptic novels.  MAJOR CRUSH will definitely leave you crushin' on Echols hardcore.