Quinn works at Tudor Tymes, a medieval themed restaurant and she is saving up money to go on a band trip to England. Wesley James moves back to town and gets a job with Tudor Tymes. Quinn makes it her mission to get Wesley fired because she blames him for causing her parents' divorce. Quinn doesn't expect to fall for Wesley and she has to decide to stick to her mission or give in to her feelings.

And to top it all off, Quinn's grandma has alzheimer's and her dad has a gambling problem.

This is a very quick read and touches on Quinn's fear of visiting her grandma because she doesn't remember her and still trusting her dad even though he has a gambling addiction.

Although I like the cover of the book, the food truck plays a minor role in the story, so it is kind of misleading...

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When I first started this book, I thought it was going to be about a teenage girl who whined about all the little problems that she was having. I was wrong. This book shows the tenderness of a relationship and the angst of misconceptions and the helplessness of loving other people who can't straighten out their lives or simply grow too sick to be the person that they were. As she deals with her feelings for Wesley and her family, she grows and realizes that she can't make everything as she wants it. There is growth in the characters and hope for the future.

Beautiful, funny, uplifting and so, so cute. Although Quin was a tad too immature at times blaming Wesley for her family misfortunes, even though she was old enough to understand that her family didn't fall apart over a comment Wesley made, and she got pretty irritating, and repetitive about it, too, she also had a heart of gold.
This is a lovely, quick summer read.

This was such a cute and quick read. I loved the setting of a medieval themed restaurant. It definitely had some heavier topics threaded into the story, but I don't really think they dragged it down. My main gripe is that Quinn went from plotting Wesley's demise to being in love with him. I think I would have liked it better if she realized she had feelings for him, but not being in love right away. Overall, though, it was adorable and a solid addition to the world of YA contemporaries.

REVIEW: Okay, yes, Quinn got on my nerves with her ill-conceived (and just plain mean) idea to get Wesley fired. Yes, she's unreasonably obsessed with this idea that Wesley James ruined her entire life. But did I love this book anyway? You bet!

Truly, Quinn isn't the most likeable character, but I forgave her Wesley-revenge obsession because she's so real. She does do some mean things to sabotage Wesley, but she does at least feel bad about her actions. It doesn't really make it right to do those things, but she's still a likeable, complex character overall.

I loved Quinn's struggles with her father's gambling addiction and her obsession with going to England. I loved her conflicting emotions about visiting her beloved grandmother in the nursing home since she's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I loved how she works in a restaurant themed on the English Tudor period. I love how the actor playing Henry VIII gets his kicks by putting employees into the stocks.

Wesley James Ruined My Life has a lot of heart. It's more than just a teen romance; there's real life behind the plot. The romance is cute and completely obvious from the first day Wesley and Quinn meet again after five years of Quinn's hating Wesley. It's clear Wesley liked Quinn then and that he still likes her now.

This book will be popular with readers who love a sweet romance with a dose of real-life problems. At only 256 pages, it's short enough to entice some reluctant readers as well. The story is easy to get-into; I zipped through it in one sitting.

Even though the characters are about to be high school seniors, I would be okay giving this book to middle school readers craving romance. There's only two kissing scenes, and both are pretty tame. The ending is cute in a Say Anything kind of way.

THEMES: divorce, gambling addiction, parents not getting along, teens at work, restaurant jobs, determination

THE BOTTOM LINE: Wesley James Ruined My Life is a cute romance that will find lots of fans. Give this to readers who love Anna and the French Kiss, Dumplin', and Smart Girls Get What They Want.

STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: I plan to order this book. I am judicious with buying more romance titles because our Romance section is so large right now, but I know this book will find some fans. I can already think of some middle school girls I will give this to.

When Quinn's mortal enemy (Wesley James) returns to town, Quinn is determined to make his life a living hell. Not only does she have to see Wesley at school but he works with her at the medieval themed restaurant! As Quinn begins her plotting to make him miserable, she begins to realize that she is falling for Wesley James!

Although I found the main character a tad annoying, I truly did enjoy this book. It was light and airy, making for a quick read.

'Wesley James Ruined My Life' ia a quite short novel about holding a grudge, forgiveness, love, loss and all things connected with flaws of our human nature. Quinn and Wesley used to be best of friends but Quinn as a child misjudged some of the situations that have highly influenced her life. Will she go past all the things she thought were true and hurtful? I find this novel really down to earth with all the problems we struggle with every day.

I really enjoyed the heroine's ridiculous part-time job. It covered a lot of big issues, but I thought the father's issues were wrapped up kind of quickly. I would have been curious to see some of this book from Wesley's point of view.

It's summer and Quinn has nearly reached her goal to fund her band trip to England. She's always wanted to go there and, with her English grandmother now in a hospice so that she can get care as she suffers from Alzheimer's, Quinn feels the need to go more than ever.

But Quinn's simple summer of band practice and working at Tudor Tymes becomes complicated when the boy she blames for ruining her parents' marriage returns to town after five years away. Not only is Wesley James back, but she can't seem to get away from him. He's everywhere.

Things go from bad to worse when her gambling father borrows her money to pay back a bookie and ends up making another bad bet instead. Now Wesley James is in band, making tons of money in tips at Tudor Tymes (while Quinn does all the work), and he's going to England, while Quinn stays home.

Basically, the guy who ruined her life is taking her life and leaving her behind to suffer.

But Quinn won't let him get away with it...

Final thoughts: Yet another cotton candy rom-com book. It's cute enough, but the ending feels rushed, like the author reached her word minimum at some point and just jammed in the last chapter or two with little regard to detail. This is an early ARC, so things might change, but that ending just felt a little off from the rest. On a separate note, that cover is really wrong. The food truck shows up only in the second half and it's a Tudor Tymes truck, so it's decorated to be medieval and Quinn even complains about having to wear her velvet costume inside, which means the 60's trailer vibe and current clothes aren't right. It's nit-picky on my part, but it bugs me all the same.

Rating: 3/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC