P.S. I Like You

This was a cute “You’ve Got Mail” redo, which is one of my all-time favorite themes. Lily has no love for Chemistry class and would much rather spend her time writing guitar lyrics. She’s forbidden from getting out her lyrics notebook, and so instead starts scribbling on her desk to some secret person who shares the desk in a different period and a secret romance starts. I enjoy the way Kasie West girls feel like real girls with real problems, and Lily’s social awkwardness and troubles with her family (and that crazy adorable bunny!) made this book great.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.

Lily finds herself in a common romance trope - communicating anonymously with someone who seems to be the perfect fit. In real life she has a male nemesis. If you are thinking "Little shop around the corner" high school style, you would be right. But the story also explores ideas of seeing beyond the surface and the dangers of judging others. Nicely entertaining.

Alert the press! I actually liked a YA contemporary! AND I gave it 5 stars!

This book was so incredibly cute and sweet, and now I need to see a dentist about my teeth because of it. It does contain the tropes of weird/eccentric character falling for a popular character, but the author did such a great job that it wasn't painful to get through.

One thing that I really appreciated about this book was that the characters actually bothered to speak to each other about certain things instead of getting madder and madder until things reached a breaking point. This is what I really liked Isabelle for. She was a bit uncomfortable with the whole Cade/Lily thing at first, but she truly had her best friend's interests at heart and didn't get catty show more with her. She definitely gets an award for great friend.

Cade himself was a good character too. His story was sad, and I first I didn't like him, but his letters softened me up a great deal.

Lily was perhaps a bit too cliché for me because of the whole weird girl who gets her clothes from thrift shops and mods them, but also writes songs thing she had going on. She wasn't too bad about it though. Again, the author made this character likable.

A minor note: I really really lived Lily's family. Her parents seemed like they would be awesome to know in real life.

Overall, I really liked the pacing and style in this story. The letter writing was adorable and they were my favorite parts of the story. show less

This was a GREAT ya contemporary.
Lily the magnet is a terrible nickname. It's not even an alliteration. But thanks to that jerk Cade Jennings Lily has had to deal with it since middle school. So now in high school and in boring chemistry class Lily depends on her trusty notebook where she writes down all her lyrics and song ideas and sometimes some rants about life. So when Mr Ortega forces her to put it away in his class indefinitely or have it confiscated for life she finds even harder to deal with that class until she finds an escape writing to a mysterious pen pal who responded to the song lyrics she wrote on her desk. Family, friends, prejudices, there's a lot Lily learns about throughout the school year and sometimes the best show more advice came from her mysterious chemistry friend.
Sometimes I've noticed authors go overboard in the sappy romances for YA. They make it uber obvious who the final love interest is going to be where the MC has this sudden jolt of "omg I really liked him all along didn't I?" which isn't bad but it is when there's no build up or growth within the character. Thankfully Ms West found a lovely way to keep a touch of mystery for a decent amount of time giving our Lily the chance to change her perceptions and learn to be a better person. And even after the sudden shakeup I liked how West explored the "what happens now?" that some authors either ignore or give terrible tribulations for the couples to overcome.
I love cutesy romances that include awesome friendships, family bonds and personal growth. This was a fabulous read. show less

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West is a contemporary young adult novel, written in first person, about Lily, a high school student who discovers a mysterious pen pal, after scribbling song lyrics on her desk. Lily is surprised to find a response the next day and starts a secret correspondence with an anonymous admirer she nicknames ‘Blue’.

The synopsis reads like a typical YA romcom, which isn’t usually my cup of tea, but I figured it's on my shelf, so I may as well give it a try. The dust jacket on this book is interesting, but I prefer the cover underneath, which is simple but beautiful. I also rather like the cover page, and the font used for the chapter headings. Attractive or unusual features always add to my enjoyment of a book. I show more must admit I enjoyed West’s engaging and easy to read writing style. The romance is slow to build, and maybe ‘Blue’s’ identity would have been predictable to fans of the genre, but my notes read something like this:

p.8 So, I’m thinking the love interest is going to be either Lucas or Gabriel.

p.34 Or maybe it’s Cade? You know, that whole enemies to lovers schtick?

p.85 I’m finding myself hoping this is Cade.

p.102 I definitely don’t think it’s David. I hope it isn’t David.

p.134 I don’t want it to be Lucas. I want it to be Cade!

p.137 Ha, ha! I knew it was Cade! (or hoped, but we’ll pretend it’s the same thing lol)

I love the choice of Chemistry class as the backdrop for a romance story, and the concept of letter writing in a world dominated by technology adds a nostalgic charm to the narrative. Some of the letters Lily and ‘Blue’ exchanged made me chuckle.

I saw a few reviews praising Lily for her relatability, but I didn’t like her. I felt she was a bit bitchy, and self-centred. Also, dating someone when you are aware, deep down, that you like someone else? Not cool. Her character just didn't resonate with me in the same way it did for others. On another note, some of the minor characters were stereotypical and could have used a bit more depth, and the book could have benefited from greater diversity in its cast.

One aspect I thoroughly enjoyed was Lily's relationship with her brothers. Their interactions lent a sense of warmth and authenticity to the story. I would have loved for that aspect to have been explored more than it was. The dynamic between Lily and Cade was also interesting. Was he really being mean, or was Lily just projecting?

I like how letters continue to play a role past the discovery of identities. The revelation of Cade's feelings, delivered like a verbal letter, was seriously sweet. One of my favourite scenes. And let's not forget Lily's song - I love how it turned out. I’d really like to hear it put to music.

Overall, P.S. I Like You is a light, heartwarming read. I don't usually read these types of books, so I was surprised how invested I was in the story, and how much I enjoyed it. I was immensely satisfied by the end of the book. show less

Alert the press! I actually liked a YA contemporary! AND I gave it 5 stars!

This book was so incredibly cute and sweet, and now I need to see a dentist about my teeth because of it. It does contain the tropes of weird/eccentric character falling for a popular character, but the author did such a great job that it wasn't painful to get through.

One thing that I really appreciated about this book was that the characters actually bothered to speak to each other about certain things instead of getting madder and madder until things reached a breaking point. This is what I really liked Isabelle for. She was a bit uncomfortable with the whole Cade/Lily thing at first, but she truly had her best friend's interests at heart and didn't get catty show more with her. She definitely gets an award for great friend.

Cade himself was a good character too. His story was sad, and I first I didn't like him, but his letters softened me up a great deal.

Lily was perhaps a bit too cliché for me because of the whole weird girl who gets her clothes from thrift shops and mods them, but also writes songs thing she had going on. She wasn't too bad about it though. Again, the author made this character likable.

A minor note: I really really lived Lily's family. Her parents seemed like they would be awesome to know in real life.

Overall, I really liked the pacing and style in this story. The letter writing was adorable and they were my favorite parts of the story. show less

Funny, awkward, indie band loving Lily puts her foot in her mouth whenever she talks to guys. Except when it comes to her crush Lucas, in which case she can't even make a peep.
In one of the most swoon-worthy plots, Lily (who writes bits of lyrics and dreams of being a songwriter, but has yet to complete a song) finds herself a muse - slash - penpal when she distractedly writes lyrics from her favorite band onto her chemistry desk, and the next day finds that someone has added the next line to it.
What follows is a friendship based entirely through correspondence, and finally Lily is coming closer to completing a song.

I enjoyed the humor and the many parts of this book that were so darn cute. I found myself caring for Lily and aching show more for her to open up more to her best friend Isabel. I found myself wanting to defend her against mean girl Sasha. I found myself unable to put this book down.

Though it was easy to guess who the pen pal was, that really isn't what the book is about. P.S. I like you is about making connections. It is about love and family and friendship, and having the courage to allow oneself to hope, and to try. Kasie West tells a story that is funny, heartfelt, and honest.

I am impressed.

(Review also appears on Goodreads and Amazon) show less