Happy Messy Scary Love caught my eye when I first saw the cover. So I was really excited when there were sign ups for the blog tour. Thanks to the publisher and The Fantastic Flying Book Club for providing me with an ARC to read and review. On my stop of the blog tour today, I am going to tell you what I thought about this book!
Happy Messy Scary Love
by Leah Konen
Publisher: Amulet Books
Release Date: May 14th 2019Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
As everyone at her Brooklyn high school announces their summer adventures, Olivia harbors a dirty secret: Her plan is to binge-watch horror movies and chat with her online friend, Elm. Olivia and Elm have never shared personal details, apart from their ages and the fact that Elm’s aunt is a low-budget horror filmmaker. Then Elm pushes Olivia to share her identity and sends her a selfie of his own. Olivia is shocked by how cute he is! In a moment of panic, assuming she and Elm will never meet in real life, she sends a photo of her gorgeous friend Katie. But things are about to get even more complicated when Olivia’s parents send her to the Catskills, and she runs into the one person she never thought she would see. This sweet and funny summertime romance is perfect for fans of Love and Gelato and The Unexpected Everything.
BOOK LINKS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41104159-happy-messy-scary-love
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2U6dazC
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/happy-messy-scary-love/id1216714092?mt=11
Bookdepository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Happy-Messy-Scary-Love-Leah-Konen/9781419734892
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/happy-messy-scary-love
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/happy-messy-scary-love-leah-konen/1128720285?ean=9781683351658
Google Books: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Happy_Messy_Scary_Love.html?id=hKMnugEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
REVIEW
Happy Messy Scary Love is a contemporary for many readers. Not only does is give us the normal contemporary feels, fandoms, romance and the part I loved the most: overcoming fears! Add some horror movies and that just about describes this book.
Even though I’m not much of a horror fan, I knew most of the movies that were mentioned in the story (the bigger ones anyways). I could still relate to loving something as much as Jake and Olivia do. It’s great to have someone share your love of something like this and it’s a great thing to bond over. The bonding starts online and these days that’s rather common.
Olivia’s summer didn’t start off amazing, not only did she not get into the writing program at NYU, she’s being forced to work at a ziplining place and hates heights. I loved how much we got to know about Olivia. She loves the idea of writing a screenplay, but just can’t get herself to do it. Fear of failing is a big thing for her and I think many people will be able to relate.
Her summer turns out to be amazing though. She ends up trying ziplining and it isn’t as bad as she thought, she makes new friends and is actually able to write a screenplay. It’s not perfect, but she did it! I loved reading about her accomplishing these things. Sometimes putting yourself out there does pay off.
Of course overcoming fears isn’t the only aspect of this book. As we read in the summary, Jake ends up being Elm, the person she’s been talking to online about everything that has to do with horror movies. While I didn’t completely care for all the lying and secrets (it went on a bit too long), I did enjoy watching them get to know eachother. Even though Olivia knew more than she let on. Jake is really sweet and I really enjoyed him while reading this story.
Happy Messy Scary Love is a fast and fun story that’s a perfect summer read. Horror fans will be happy, but really anybody that’s crazy over a certain fandom will be able to relate. On top of friendship and romance, there is also a family aspect in this story that I really enjoyed! This definitely won’t be my last Leah Konen book!
TOUR SCHEDULE
Of course, there are many other amazing blogs participating in this blog tour. Click here for the full schedule to find all of the links!
GIVEAWAY
There is a chance for US readers to win a copy of Happy Messy Scary Love. The giveaway started May 8th and ends on May 22nd.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Leah Konen is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied journalism and creative writing. She’s the author of the forthcoming HAPPY MESSY SCARY LOVE, LOVE AND OTHER TRAIN WRECKS, THE ROMANTICS, THE LAST TIME WE WERE US and THE AFTER GIRLS. She lives in Brooklyn and Saugerties, NY, with her husband and their dog, Farley.
AUTHOR LINKS
Website: https://www.leahkonen.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6613718.Leah_Konen
Twitter: https://twitter.com/leahkonen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leahkonenauthor/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/leahkonen
Happy Messy Scary Love is my first book by Leah Konen, but after reading this one I really want to get her other stories. Have you read the other books by this author? Let me know in the comments which ones I need to pick up!
I only just found out about this book the other week and it sounds like one I need! Great review, it’s on my tbr now!
Thank you! I really enjoyed it and think you will with all the horror references. Like I said the drama went on a bit long, but it’s a fast and fun read otherwise.