Shine and Shimmer
Author: Shari L. Tapscott
Series: Glitter and Sparkle #2
Genre: YA, contemporary, romance, fiction
All her life, Riley's followed in her perfect sister's footsteps, but now that she's graduated high school, she's not sure who she really is. When she meets Zeke, a brooding artist who's the very definition of trouble, she decides to throw caution to the wind and set her sights on a guy no good girl would dare bring home to her parents.Just when things are looking promising with Zeke, in steps Linus, a genuinely nice gamer who's just a little (or a lot) geeky for Riley's tastes. But where Zeke is the bad boy she's always dreamed of, Linus just might be her knight in shining armor.By the end of the summer, she's going to have choose, but if she takes too long, she just might lose them both...The books in this series share characters, but each is a complete story and may be read as a standalone.
my review
I received a free copy for an honest review
I was screaming when I first saw the existence of this book. I was a huge fan and greatly enjoyed the first book, and for anyone else that came with that thought in mind, I can assure you it did not disappoint.
Since the last book was a novel, in this sequel we picked up with a new character at a new place. Her name is Riley, and she's one of those "classic blonde, a hot cheerleader who is in FBLA, honor society - the whole nine yards. The achiever, the bright-eyed and bubbly It Girl. Loved and hated, adored and envied." And because of this, we can see her transformation throughout the book. In the beginning, she's kind of fake and would lie just to impress guys she wants to impress. However, we can see how she slowly becomes real, even to the guy she would eventually love.
Riley never wanted to be with Linus. He's the geek who works at video-game stores and is a genius nerd at math and science. However, he has the body of a jock and is no doubt hot and sexy. Our originally-shallow cheerleader as the main character, of course, wouldn't be interested in a geek, disgusted actually. She wants a full good looking guy who is good at art and has 'player' written all over him in capital and bold letters (Zeke). However, Riley being who she is, wanted a 'change' and to have someone 'bad'.
Because of her desire to impress Zeke, she lied and said she's a crafter, and started making soap to sell on the sell on Saturday. Because she has no interest in Linus, she didn't find the need to act fake around him, and they were quickly friends that 'tries to hide the chemistry between them.' Through this, we can see her changing because of thanks to Linus, she realized that she can be fake time so she decided finally that Linus is who she wanted, and got up the courage to apologize and they officially became a couple.
I half suspected that the author described Riley's love for romance novels (and the desire to find them in real life) from herself. But this is also pleasing for us romance readers to read, since finding the romance we read in real life will forever be our ultimate dream.
I also absolutely loved the ending line, and how the author wrote it back and connected it with the title, " 'I needed a little shine and shimmer in my life.' 'Me too,' Linus says as he kisses me. 'That's why I'm marrying you.'
For anyone who wished and craved stories like the first book, your wish as been granted. Four stars at least, for sure.
My rating:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shari L. Tapscott writes young adult fantasy and humorous contemporary fiction. When she's not writing or reading, she enjoys gardening, making soap, and pretending she can sing. She loves white chocolate mochas, furry animals, spending time with her family, and characters who refuse to behave. Tapscott lives in western Colorado with her husband, son, daughter, and two very spoiled Saint Bernards.
