Aesthetic Addict: Contemporary Novels! #BBCP16

Nori at ReadWriteLove28 is hosting another round of BBCP! Team Teal decided to create aesthetic posts for different genres, each of us using different books over the next six months! For July (this month!), we are doing CONTEMPORARY NOVELS! 

My choice for today is 

WILD SWANS by Jessica Spotswood! 

Below you will see my aesthetic graphic + I review the book (since I haven't done that on the blog yet). Keep scrolling to see everyone else on Team Teal and click over to their blogs to see their aesthetic posts! Then check back in August for our next round.

WILD SWANS

Author: Jessica Spotswood

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication Date: May 3, 2016

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary:

The summer before Ivy’s senior year is going to be golden; all bonfires, barbeques, and spending time with her best friends. For once, she will just get to be. No summer classes, none of Granddad’s intense expectations to live up to the family name. For generations, the Milbourn women have lead extraordinary lives—and died young and tragically. Granddad calls it a legacy, but Ivy considers it a curse. Why else would her mother have run off and abandoned her as a child?

But when her mother unexpectedly returns home with two young daughters in tow, all of the stories Ivy wove to protect her heart start to unravel. The very people she once trusted now speak in lies. And all of Ivy’s ambition and determination cannot defend her against the secrets of the Milbourn past….

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Team Teal Members

Nori @ ReadWriteLove28
Jamie @ Books and Ladders

Charley @ A Writer Named Charley
Sabrina @ Beyond the Book Reviews

Mariam @ Flying Through Fiction
Wren @ The Litaku

I have literally nothing bad to say about this one. This book is marvelous and I am so glad I picked it up when I did. I am a huge fan of realistic fiction and this one really takes the cake. I liked that this one had so many layers and elements to it, more than just falling in love -- even though that happened too. I liked that the main focus of this was Ivy and her wants and needs, even if she didn't realize that at first.

Ivy was such a great character. I liked that she put pressure on herself, felt the pressure from her Grandad, and still wanted to just be true to herself. I thought her character development was plausible and really heart warming while also giving me feels. I think there is something to be said to parents in this one about the type of pressure you put on your kids to be better, do more, and to generally IMPRESS. I liked that Ivy wanted to take time to herself in the summer to figure out what she liked, what she wanted to do, and to not succumb to what her Grandad wanted for her, even if it was with good intentions. I liked that even though she did let him make some decisions for her in the sense that she took courses, etc. the topic of those courses were things she enjoyed to do. I liked that she was sometimes honest about her opinions but also kept some things back. I think she was good at making compromises and sometimes that is really important. However, I also liked that at the end she stood up for herself and made herself really clear about her wants and needs for the future.

I also really liked her relationship with Alex, because I saw it from both sides. I liked that she was really firm with Alex on multiple occasions about what she wanted out of a relationship with him. I think it is so important for teen girls to see that you can be firm in a decision and not have to cave just because someone else wants something different. I also understood that Alex wanted something more and needed time to get his head wrapped around it, but I was super glad that Ivy called him out on his ghosting and said that he can't expect things to stay the same if he isn't willing to be there when things get rough for her just because he doesn't like that she wants to just be friends. I LOVED that scene.

Ivy and Connor's relationship was great though. I loved that he was so supportive in everything that she did or wanted to do, but also pushed her to see all her options. I liked that he obviously saw her Grandad as a mentor, but didn't let that influence how he saw Ivy and their relationship. I also really liked that he just genuinely seemed to like Ivy and want to spend time with her. They had so much chemistry and heat and I loved them together.

I liked seeing Ivy as a big sister and a daughter. I was a bit meh about how her final scene with her mom went because I felt like she was letting her off the hook too easily, but I also get it. Because Ivy was more concerned about her sisters welfare than anything else. And Ivy had every right to be angry with her mom for leaving and coming back like nothing was wrong. I also liked that even though this was over the course of about two weeks, Ivy and her sisters became really close. I think there is a lot to be said about their relationship, but a better person than me would have to do it.

Spotswood writing was perfect. I liked the descriptions of the town and being inside Ivy's mind. I thought she had a really good grasp on how Ivy would handle situations and also her growth. I easily sped through this one because of how well written it was. It was really easy to get lost in this story and feel like you were in Ivy's mind. This was just SO GOOD.

WILD SWANS comes with high praise and recommendation from me. I loved everything about the story and thought Spotswod writing was perfect. I am not sure I would have trusted this story to be told by anyone else. I think this is one that everyone who enjoys a good contemporary novel will enjoy.