Lovestruck Summer

More than likely you're one of the lucky ones living somewhere full of snow and wishing it were summer now, if you are there's a perfect book to read: Lovestruck Summer.

Priscilla (see, right there, how can a book with main character named Priscilla-she goes by her middle name Quinn-not be worth reading for that reason alone?) has her perfect summer all set-up. As an intern at indie Amalgam records in Austin, Quinn's going to stay with her cousin Penny and meet the perfect indie guy in music loving Austin. He'll love the perfect music, have the perfect hair and the perfect indie guy glasses. It's okay, Quinn has a type--but Austin's just the place for her.

Or is it?

Studious Penny that she remembers spending all her time isn't quite the show more same and her summer (from the internship all the way down to the boys she meets) isn't at all what she expected it to be. But somehow, it's still just might be perfect.

The idea of what you think you want not really being what you want, might not exactly be original, but it's a fun summer (or wishing-it-were-summer) romance so it doesn't need to be. And the characters are well developed, the actual events of the story are unique and are what make it so much fun to read. Austin is actually a part of the story and not just somewhere that the story happens to be set instead of Georgia or New York or Tennessee... And the two leads actually make a lot of sense as a couple in a romance.

And the ending was true to both the characters and the story--and the readers, I think.

If anything, the only problem would be that the cover makes the whole story seem a lot fluffier than it is....Quinn does really like music and she does have the internship so music and concerts are a part of the story, not just hanging out at the beach. While Lovestruck Summer is still a fun, easy read, it is less fluff with the characters than the other $5.99 YA romances if that matters to anyone.

9/10 (and I hope sometime Melissa Walker will write more of these types of books) show less

Originally posted at http://www.flyleafreview.com/2012/06/double-shot-review-unbreak-my-heart-and.htm...

If ever there was a case for a book in desperate need of a new cover, and possibly a new title, this would be that book. You guys, I can confidently say that had it not been for some fellow bloggers talking this book up, that I would have never given it a read because of that cover. I apologize to the creative team behind it, but in my opinion it totally distracts from the awesomeness that is this little book. I LOVED this book, so much more than I expected to, and while yes, I think it definitely qualifies as a fun beach read, it has a lot more depth to it than would appear.

First of all this book is new adult. If you are familiar show more with me and the blog than you know that I LOVE this offshoot of young adult lit. Secondly, music plays a central theme in Lovestruck Summer. You guys, I am SUCH a music nerd. Seeing live music is hands down one of my favorite things to do. And I love, love, love books with music themes. And the icing on the cake? Quinn's music of choice is alternative and indie, which also happens to be my music of choice. Thirdly, there is awesome character development afoot in this book. It's kind of amazing that Walker is able to pull this off in a book that literally took me about four hours to read. Fourth, this book might seem light and fluffy on the outside, but really has some meat to it. And finally, the romance is sweet and steamy sprinkled with plenty of swoon worthy moments.

I LOVE Quinn, you guys! I love her voice. I love her style. I love that she's a bit left of center and different from the norm. I love her blue hair and vintage band and bar T-shirts. I love her faults and all. I love her because she starts out with a definite idea of who she is and what she wants, out of school, life, friendships and guys, and by the end of this book she realizes the narrowness of that mindset. I love that she has great capacity for love but she can also be tough as nails when she needs to be. I love that when she wants something she goes after it and doesn't hesitate. I love that when she recognizes that she's acting like an ass, she calls herself on it and tries to make amends. And I love that even with all her snarky attitude and music snobbery, she's just a young woman on a journey to self discovery who is as human as the rest of us.

The best part of this book is the cast of wonderful characters. There is Penny, Quinn's cousin, and her sorority sister neighbor Chrissy, who are both so much like Elle Woods from Legally Blonde it's scary. There's Jade, the hip fellow intern that befriends Quinn and is the perfect wing woman and has an open mind to go along with her big heart. There is Sebastian, (what a great name for this character!), the hipster DJ who is everything Quinn thinks she wants in a summer fling, and than there is next door neighbor, Russ.

Russ, Russ, Russ. Beautiful, funny, wise, built, loud, sexy, goofy frat boy Russ. He's got the whole Texas cowboy vibe going and even though Quinn feels sure that is SO not her type, she comes to find that even she is not fully immune to his charm. I liked Russ from the start and grew to like him even more as the story progressed. I loved how he called Quinn out when she was being stubborn and close minded, yet he was always patient and forgiving. And I love how he used music, the very thing that Quinn responds to most, to bridge the gap between them.

There are so many moments in this book that took me back to my teenage years, moments that made me laugh out loud , like the house party scene with the guy in a beer hat with straws that leads to his mouth wearing a T-shirt that says 'C's GET DEGREES, I mean don't we all know a guy just like that? I did. Funny scenes like that abound but there were other moments that made me cringe and made my heart hurt. Moments that made me want to jump in the book and shake the heck out of the characters so they would, you guessed it, SNAP OUT OF IT, ALREADY!!

And then there is the setting, the city of Austin. I've never been to Austin, though I vow to make it to a SXSW show one day before I die, and I loved discovering the city in the pages of this story. This book made me want to go to the Four Season's and watch the bats fly at sunset. Made me want to go tubing down the Guadalupe River. Made me itch to hit up Dirty's and meander around the University of Texas campus. You've heard the expression "she wrote a love letter to the city, well, Walker has definitely done just that with this book.

I could go on and on about this one, but I'd never be able to get across all the things about this book that I enjoyed. It's smart and funny and a really great "feel good" kind of read. Of the two Melissa Walker books I read, Lovestruck Summer, the little book with the bad cover and silly title, is hands down my favorite. It's an older title, and the copy I found is a mass market paperback which equals cheap. So do yourself a favor, pick this one up. Look for it at your library. Look for a used copy online or check out the bargain bins. Just find a copy, because it's is such a great read with so much more depth than the cover and title imply.

4.5/5 Stars
(I deducted 1/2 star only because I wished this book to be about 200 pages longer!) show less

Even though I know that Melissa Walker went to Vassar, I’d swear after reading this book that she went to college in Texas. She has perfectly captured the atmosphere that surrounds a Texas campus. I attended college both in Texas and outside of Texas, and believe me when I say that there is nothing quite like college in Texas. And although Quinn isn’t in college yet and is in Austin during the summer, that atmosphere pervades this book. So it probably won’t come as a big surprise that I enjoyed this book immensely.
On the one hand, this book is light and fluffy and fun. It’s a quick, summery read. But on the other hand, when you actually look closer at the story, at Quinn herself, there’s a lot to learn. I’m not saying the show more book is didactic or lecturing in tone, because it’s far from it. And, like the books I enjoy the most, this one doesn’t rely on a flashy gimmick or crazy plot to propel the story ahead. This is all about the characters, and, oh, how I love them.
Quinn’s voice is convincingly that of a recently graduated eighteen-year-old. She knows what she wants and what she likes, and she has unlimited hope for what the future holds. Then there’s Russ, who is approaching his senior year of college, and he finds her rigid adherence to her indie image to be a sign that she needs her mind to be opened. As Quinn spends more and more of her lazy days with Russ, it becomes obvious that Russ has feelings for her, but she’s sure that he’s not the guy for her. The guy for her is Sebastian, who perfectly fits the image of what she wants in a guy. There’s a lot of back and forth between Quinn and Russ, but I admire the way Walker chose to end the book.
I’ll end with this, my favorite quote from the book, which not only cracked me up but also rang true to my own experience. Upon returning to Penny’s condo for a party, Quinn observes, “It’s like they’re staging a production of the musical Oklahoma!, with a keg.” show less

Priscilla Quinn Parker—who prefers to go by “Quinn,” thank you very much—isn’t sure that her summer before her freshman year of college is going the way she imagined it. She’s living with her older cousin Penny in Austin, Texas, and has an internship at Amalgam Records, her favorite indie label—but her internship is only one day a week, and Penny is a complete sorority girl. Things start to look up, however, when Quinn finds her ideal indie boyfriend in Sebastian a local Austin DJ. He’s beautiful, musically knowledgeable, and just like her. Therefore he’s perfect. Right?

Then there’s Russ, Penny’s annoying frat-boy wannabe-cowboy friend and neighbor. For one, Russ is always calling Quinn “Priscilla,” which she show more hates. For another, he’s always trying to get her to listen to country music, then calling her a snob when she says she hates country. Russ is clearly not her ideal guy…but Quinn finds herself unable to get him or his favorite country songs out of her head, especially after he calls her out on her close-mindedness.
Maybe Quinn will learn to open up her ears, mind, and heart, in order to find a love and a life that’s real.

It’s been so long since I’ve read a straightforward, fun, romantic, somewhat predictable, but ultimately heartfelt summer tale, and so LOVESTRUCK SUMMER far exceeded my expectations. Instead of flat characters, you get interesting, three-dimensional people whom you want to be friends with. It was of course easy to predict how this book was going to end, but I was surprised by how endearing Russ was, and what great banter existed between him and Quinn.

Most poignant was Quinn’s development from a self-centered, naïve snob into a more open-minded individual. I’m still having trouble understanding how Melissa Walker managed to, in just a little over two hundred (small) pages, make Quinn—who was even likable in her initial state—actually mature into a young woman we love and respect. Such gorgeously smooth character development rarely exists in a book that intends to be a light beach read, and I was greatly appreciative of how much I was able to understand, accept, and love the flawed Quinn and her equally entertaining and realistic friends.

LOVESTRUCK SUMMER is, first and foremost, a pleasure read, something that will make the bubbles rise in your stomach as the sun warms your face in the summertime. However, don’t miss out on the endearing characters and the complexity of Quinn’s maturation. I know that I will be reading this again whenever I need a book that makes me smile, swoon, and feel hopeful about the human nature. show less

Lovestruck Summer is one of the sweetest and most fun reads I've opened in a long time! From the moment I met the main character, Priscilla (better known as Quinn), I knew this was a book I was going to love. Quinn is witty, she is stubborn, and she loves the Indie Rock scene. My kind of girl! Each time someone called her Priscilla and she bristled at the name, I knew we were destined to enjoy one another's company.

If you are an Indie Rock fan, or for that matter if you are looking to branch out to new music, you will love this book! All the pop culture references in it, all the band shout outs, all the place shout outs, keep you involved. It was refreshing to take a break from fantasy. I needed to step into a story where what was show more taking place could really happen, and this made my heart sing!

My absolute favorite part about this story was the characters, without a doubt. Each one of them is so different, but they play on one another's strengths and weaknesses perfectly. Quinn is young, slightly naive, and stubborn. Russ (the cowboy) is strong and emotional at the same time. Penny and her sorority counterparts are just big balls of crazy energy. I LOVED each character in their own right, and that made this book extremely enjoyable.

Although this book is a sweet and funny romance, it's also all about stereotypes and breaking those down. You'll be pleasantly surprised when you start to read at the message underneath. I knew there was a romance novel out there I'd enjoy. I knew it! I found it. Thank you Melissa Walker, you have opened my eyes. show less

Lovestruck Summer has got to be one of my favorite summer romances of all time. I seriously squeeeeeeed throughout the whole book. Oh My God. I felt like Melissa Walker wrote this book for me. I totally and completely got Quinn. I'm sort of a music snob myself and could totally see myself in her. I don't do country music, I just don't. I'm sure I like a few songs that I don't realize are country but that is all. Also, I've never thought of a cowboy/fratboy as hot, never, until now. I really appreciated this book's message of not dismissing something or someone just because you think you should or because you believe the stereotype about something.

I loved the back and forth between Quinn and her cowboy/fratboy neighbor Russ. Holy heck show more was that boy as sweet can be! But no, Quinn is set on finding herself an indie/emo boy and sets her sights on Sebastian a local dj who might not be as good inside as he looks outside.

Then we have Quinn's cousin Penny and her sorority sister/next door neighbor Chrissy who at first glance Quinn writes off. And then there's co-intern Jade who comes off kind of cold at first. By the end of the summer Quinn will get to know these girls so well and come to learn a lot about herself and her beliefs in the process.

Ok, I could just go on and on about how much I love this book, but just really see for yourself. You will squeal and laugh and go aww about 1,000 times! show less

When I heard Melissa Walker – of Violet on the Runway fame – had a new book coming out, I was excited. When I heard it took place in BookPeople’s hometown, I just couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. What could be a better setting for a summer romance than AuLovestruckSummerstin, Texas? Of course, as soon as I picked up Lovestruck Summer I couldn’t put it down. Our heroine, Quinn, is a true blue indie rock girl with designs on making the most of her internship with a record label in ATX. She can’t wait to see her cousin, Penny, whom she’ll be staying with, and, of course, she’s hoping for a cute indie rock boy to make her summer complete. But when do things ever go as planned? First of all, her cousin is now an show more unrecognizable sorority girl, and the extra room in her condo belongs to her dog – Quinn has to sleep on the couch. And even though she’s found a fabulous DJ to spend time with, Quinn can’t help but notice Russ, the country-music-loving Texas boy next door. Lovestruck Summer is a sweet, exciting beach read that challenges stereotypes in a really fun way. And, of course, it makes Austin sound like a fabulous place to be in the summer – which it is! show less