Review: Suite Dreams

Book: Suite Dreams
Author: Rachel Hawthorne
Pages: 272
Published: January 1st 2009 by HarperTeen
Source: Bought

Hello, mate!
(Practicing my Australian.* How am I doing?)

I'm so glad the timing worked out for this couch exchange. I'll be crashing on yours by the time you get to mine.** If you run into any problems, just find Alyssa. She'll help you out with whatever you need.***

Your couch-swapping mate,
Rick

*That's cute. Go have fun in Australia and leave ME—your girlfriend for an entire semester—to waste away on campus, alone.

**Um, think again. Your couch is already taken.

***Great. Now I've got to find a place for the (unbelievably hot, it turns out) Aussie to crash. But there's only one couch available: the one in my dorm room. . . .

This book sounded really cute when I first heard of it! Plus, after her Dark Guardians series, I am a huge fan of Rachel Hawthorne's -- I just can't believe it took me so long to pick this up!

Straight off, I liked Alyssa. She actually reminded me a lot of me, actually, in the way that she studies obsessively for school. I loved her bravery (even though she didn't see it) and her attitude towards everything. Her voice sounded really genuine, and I loved that she sounded like she could have been one of my friends. I was able to identify with her easily and sympathize with her.

I LOVED her relationship with Jude! It was so sweet, and I loved reading about them falling in love. It was adorable, really. There was awkwardness and intimacy and everything that you experience when you fall in love. Their romance was fast-paced, yeah, but that was what made it fun to read about and what made it so enjoyable. Jude was abso-bloody-lutely (in his words) swoony and I loved him! I think I have a new favorite to add to my list.

I read this in about two hours. It was absorbing and I found it difficult to put down! There wasn't a single dull moment in the book; there was always something happening with Alyssa and Jude, and the tension between them just kept me on the edge of my seat and pretty excited for them. I loved every little scene in this book - there really just wasn't anything I didn't like. Even though it's an easy, quick, light read and very predictable, it was thoroughly enjoyable and I loved it so much more than I thought I would.

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

Cover: I'm not the biggest fan of this cover, but I still thought it was extremely cute and I love the colors used, as well as the design of the title. I might pick this up in the bookstore, but I might not; it might depend on how I feel that day. It's still a pretty cute cover that matches the story, though!