If you have done COYER (Clean Out Your E-Reader) before or want to try it, here's the link to the sign up. It's all year now, with side themes throughout the year to give readers a break from the restrictions of basic COYER. I am just doing basic COYER, not the quarantine side theme. I have signed up on my blog, but wanted to reach out to the BL community to see if anyone wants in. 

I have some ebooks to read for Reading Assignment challenge, so those will be my starting TBR:

1. Finish Love on the Line by Deeanne Gist

2. Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist

3. The Measure of a Lady by Deeanne Gist

4. A Distant Melody (Wings of Glory #1) by Sarah Sundin

5. A Memory Between Us (Wings of Glory #2) by Sarah Sundin

Love

That’s the first thing that came to my mind after finishing the story. It’s aimed towards the Young Adult/New Adult scene and definitely towards females. I found it hard to rate this book. On the one hand, I quite liked the story and the characters. On the contrary, I found the romance a bit too sloppy at times and the pacing a little odd here and there. But if you are one for books on love, then definitely continue with the review.

Characters

There were two main characters in the book, but we followed the protagonist, Tegan. We find ourselves in her chaotic household that she shares with her big family and quite a few guests. Tegan is a shy girl, but is beautiful and can do everything (well not everything… but you can see how it could get on a reader’s nerves). She can sing, she can play the piano, and she can paint. We do learn the reason why she is the way she is, eventually.

The second character we learn about is Mason, a pop star (kind of like Justin Bieber), who needs to take a break from life and let himself and his world slow down. Mason is not your usual pop star, but a relatively down-to-earth guy who is willing to fight for his love. We learn how he was broken and who controls him and why.

Themes

The first and biggest theme is the first subtitle of this piece, love. I like that I read this in winter, where I could come home to my wife, and cuddle with her like Tegan and Mason do over the summer. We see how love can be both healing and destructive as we learn about the past relationships and baggage that both Tegan and Mason carry with them into their relationship.

A second theme is the long term effects of a moment of weakness. Spoiler ahead. Warning ahead for those reading, it contains strong words and textual images. So, now that the warnings are done I can talk about it.  In Melody’s Key, Coryell writes about rape and suicide.  Well, he mentions them, he doesn’t describe the actual acts. What I found fascinating was the long-term effects and the mental barriers people create when this happens. Here, we read about Tegan’s wariness of all men and Mason’s hidden shame. But, as we read more, we see they’re accepted for who they are. You can heal. You don’t need to be ashamed.

Recommendation

While I did find it an interesting read, I don’t know if Young Adult romance is my particular cup of tea. I found it just a little too soppy for me. However, it was nicely paced and pretty well written, so if you’re interested in this sort of genre, I say go ahead and try it out.

Note about this review

I received a copy of the book from the author for an honest review. I always try my best to balance the reviews and not favour any one person (though I may be a bit subjective when it comes to the genre).

Here is a blurb of what the book is about. Only four months left, then Dave Martinez is a free man.

Dave is an eight- grader at Lakeville Boarding School, the school for boys with unexplored potential( aka losers). If he can control his impulse to steal, he can return home  and attend regular public school. If he doesn't, he will be sent to Birmingham High, the worst high school on the planet,  and his life will be doomed forever. For just a few more months , he needs to stay out of trouble  and keep a low profile. And he's pretty good at that.

Then Dave gets a new roommate, Tom Grant. Tom is allergic to boring and doesn't know how to listen to rules. His wild plans involve all of his roommates, especially Dave. They're dragged along with Tom as he hunts animals ( and teachers in pajamas),goes sledding on cafeteria trays, and drives bulldozers through the night. Dave's chance's of keeping a low profile are going down the drain.

I enjoyed this book. I think 7 th and 8 th graders  and high school kids would like to read this book because it is geared towards them.

I loved the  ending  of this book. I thought the message of this book is choose your friends carefully.

Sure Tom got Dave into trouble a lot but it turns out Tom was a good friend to have.

A cute book. I just might go back and read the first three in this series.