Waiting on Wednesday (40)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The week's WoW feature is:

Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

Publisher: MTV Books

Release Date: July 10, 2012

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever.

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business--until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers--and the consequences could be deadly. (Goodreads)

OK, so I was hooked by the first line of the synopsis! A girl who loves to fly airplanes, and wants a career as a pilot?! Heck yeah! Being a girl who loves to fly herself (but no, I'm not a pilot), and has pilot friends, this is right up my alley. Not to mention that this is by Jennifer Echols, which means there will be hot romance involved. I can't wait to get my hands on this one :).

What book are you anxiously waiting for this week?! Let me know in the comments!

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Publisher: MTV (Simon & Schuster)
Release Date: July 19, 2011
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Age Level: Young Adult, 16+
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Buy: Amazon | Indiebound

SHE'S WRITING ABOUT HIM. HE'S WRITING ABOUT HER. AND EVERYBODY IS READING BETWEEN THE LINES.

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions--it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true. (author website)

What a fantastic read, as expected from Jennifer Echols! I practically read this in one sitting... my only break was to make dinner and eat. I was quickly pulled into this story by Echols' realistic characters, their chemistry, and the beautiful settings of Kentucky horse country and the city of New York.

What I loved most about Love Story, besides the steamy chemistry between Erin and Hunter, was that it takes place during their freshman year of college. It was a nice break from most YA novels that take place in high school. I loved the dynamics between the roommates, friends, and classmates... and the insight into their college experience. It made me feel nostalgic and want to go back to my college days and do it all over again.

I also really enjoyed reading the stories written between Erin and Hunter. They were almost like a bonus to the main story itself. Though about 3/4 of the way through I was so anxious about the main characters that I admit I groaned a bit to read them because I wanted to go straight to the parts where they interacted with each other. The chemistry is that good!

Love Story comes out a week from today - July 19th - so add this to your summer reading list!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.