I really enjoyed this book. It was pretty apparent this author didn’t grow up in North Central FL so if you’re from there, like I am, just ignore it because the book is so worth it! Really sweet, really entertaining and really light hearted! Love it!

There is nothing I love more than a sweet friends to more novel. I just can't get enough of the delicious tension that happens when two people obviously have feelings for each other but are too afraid to take that leap. Especially when those two leads come from different social circles.

This book started off strongly for me. I loved watching Alex moon over Bailey and fight his feelings for her while she explains her film making plan. That's the sexual tension that keeps me hooked and wanting more.

But I can't help but feel that if I got to see these two interact a little more before the start of this book (ie the start of their friendship), I would have rooted for them a little more than I did. Yes, they are cute together and I can see why they are drawn to each other but I wanted that connection established a little more.

Unfortunately, the last half of the book is plagued by bad communication and assumptions on both characters parts and it's a little frustrating to endure as it occurs in a slightly repetitive way. I get their fears of rejection but their defensive tactics always seemed premature to me--which in turn made the characters come across as immature.

Which brings me to the character development. I was very disappointed in Alex's lack of growth as a character. To me, it was almost like he unravelled as the story progressed. I was a huge Alex fan at the start but his angst towards his parents (no matter how justified) never seemed to contribute positively to his coming of age story. I felt like that was a bit of a missed opportunity because the romance overshadows any character growth or resolution.

I enjoyed this story for what it was. If you like sweet, lighted salted with teenage angst stories, you'll no doubt enjoy this cute friends to more YA romance.

Great book! I love the best friend wants more scenario, in this case they both feel that way but are too afraid to admit anything to each other. I found the book to be fun to read and enjoyed the ending!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

i ADORED this book. Yes, indeed, the Best Friends-lovers trope is a little overdone but I still find that if authors put a little twist in it or develop their characters enough that I fall in love with them uniquely, the book is still fully novel and amazing. This book by Christina was a rollercoaster of emotion where you wanted them to admit their love ASAP but also you wanted more of that delicious tension. This book is worth the chance, even for readers who decided that the done-to-death trope is not their theme.

This book was so good! I could not put it down and even though it is a standalone I am really looking forward to reading the other book under this umbrella (The First Kiss Hypothesis). I loved following Alex and Bailey as they grow closer together and struggle with trying to decide if crossing the best friend line is worth it. The promposal plan was so funny. Alex finally decided he wants to ask his after school kinda secret friend Bailey to prom but when he goes to ask her she asks him for help with asking another guy before he can get it out. Feeling confused and dejected he says yes because he wants Bailey to be happy but would rather her be happy with him. I laughed and cried with this book and I definitely recommend to any rom-com fans!

Thank you to NetGalley, Christina Mandelski, and Entangled Publishing for this digital arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was such a cute and fun read! I love the world that Christina has created and I'm so happy that we were able to hear more about Nora and Eli from the first book! I'm going to be honest and say that neither Alex nor Bailey had stuck out to me with the first book but I did read that one about a year ago so I'll have to go back and do a reread so that I can see if anything sticks out between these two!!!
I never really understood the big deal with promposals but that could be because when I was in high school, no one did those and I only graduated six years ago! The idea of it all seemed interesting but I seriously wanted to bang Alex's and Bailey's heads together for the longest time throughout the book because JUST ADMIT THAT YOU LIKE EACH OTHER AND GET THIS OVER WITH SO I HAVE ANOTHER SHIP!!!! 😂 But then I thought about it and realized that if I were in the same position, I stay silent about my feelings 99.9% of the time. So if I admit that I like someone to their face, that took me quite a lot of guts.
I can't wait to see Christina expand even more on this world! (Especially since now I need more Bailey & Alex along with more Eli & Nora!)

I absolutely loved this book! It was super slow when you first start reading and then it picks up and slows down as soon as it starts getting good! 3 stars!

I keep going back and forth with 3 or 4 Stars with this one. There were a lot of things that I liked about this book, but some that I didn’t as well. The book itself was good (the writing), but the characters missed communication throughout the entire book drove me nuts! And the thing that annoyed me the most was when the characters kept referring to “breathing through their toes”. I’m at a loss for words with that phrase, it just got on my nerves. But their were a few cute things that’s happened in the book, the promposals & the various ways they were played out made me laugh.

Overall I didn’t love this book, but I didn’t hate it either. So I’m giving it 3 Stars.

Love and Other Secrets by Christina Mandelski is a fun and sweet young adult love story. Alex, Kov, Koviak is the high school star lacrosse player, and Bailey Banfield is a hard working girl who is trying to get into New York University film school. These two unlikely seniors start out becoming secret friends, but what happens when their feelings grow. I really enjoy these types of stories, high school is so emotional and it is fun to watch the individuals mature. I recommended this book for all who enjoy a light young adult read.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

So cute, sweet, and fun!

I want more of this story! I have not read a YA contemporary that I liked as much as this one in a long time. It was a typical high school YA story but I enjoyed it so much.

Alex and Bailey are polar opposites. He’s a popular, lacrosse player from a rich family while she is a nerdy movie obsessed girl, from the trailer park who works two jobs. They become quick friends and end up spending lots of time together quickly becoming the best of friends.

Neither of them realize how much they are falling for each other. Alex starts to realize his feelings first and plans to ask Bailey to prom. However, things get complicated quickly when Bailey wants to plan a prom proposal to record for her film. She’s never asked or been asked to a dance before so she enlists Alex to plan the perfect prom-posal for one of his teammates.

Bailey and Alex are a very unlikely couple but they work together so well. Their chemistry is perfect and they bring out the best in each other, even if it takes a while. Their story flows well and you can’t help but root for them.

I do wish that we could have seen more of Alex and Bailey as they became friends. I think it would have allowed me to connect to them and their friendship a little more and made this a 5 star read.

Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.

Love and Other Secrets by Christina Mandelski is a beautifully written young adult romance. It's always fun to just devour a cute, fluffy romance where opposites attract.

“WITH HOW MUCH EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT IT, YOU’D THINK PROM IS A HUGE DEAL AT OUR SCHOOL, BUT IT’S REALLY THE PROMPOSALS THAT GET EVERYONE WORKED UP.”
Opening a month before the big day, Love and Other Secrets tells the story of a seemingly mismatched pair dancing the sacred “will they won’t they” dance while navigating the pressures of youth, high school, and their futures.

Alex “Kov” Koviak (a.k.a. “teenage Thor”) is your typical carefree jock who devotes his days to no-strings relationships, lacrosse, and playing matchmaker for his friends.

Bailey “Raven Girl” Banfield is your typical goal-oriented super teen who spends her days studying at school, working 2 jobs, and perfecting her A/V assignment in hopes of landing the funds — and a spot — at her dream school: NYU.

On the surface they seem like polar opposites — in fact, you’d never even guess they were friends. But over weeks of secret late-night movie screens this duo become close and internally debate whether they should take the next step — publically and formally. And right when Kov decides to take the plunge and prompose to Bailey, she burst his metaphorical bubble by asking for his help promposing to another dude. In order to keep his disappointment under wraps, Kov agrees to help Bails with “Operation Ultra-Mega Promposal to the Death,” which ends up being more challenging than either of them ever expected.

“SOMETIMES IT’S EASY TO FORGET THAT EVERYONE HAS A STORY…”
What I loved the most about Mandelski’s YA contemporary was how genuinely youthful it read. There are moments that will make you cringe due to the missed connections and errors in communication. There are moments that will make you swoon due to Kov’s impressive displays of game (slow dancing serenades in the Blue Room, anyone??) But at the end of the day it just felt so dang relatable. Don’t get me wrong there were plenty of times where I wanted to strangle our MCs because so much of their drama could have been instantaneously eliminated if they’d gather up the courage to TALK to one another. But at the end of the day, that’s the blissfully frustrating part of growing up — a feeling I remember all too well.

You see, the reason I’m trash for prom stories is because my first date with my husband was our senior prom — well, sort of. We didn’t actually go to the dance together because of (you guessed it) communication issues. Between him recruiting his best friend to ask me who I was going with — in front of him — me panicking and not wanting to look like a loser and claiming a date I hadn’t yet acquired, friend dates brought along to make the other party jealous, and more laughable incidents I don’t have time to go into now, I totally get how these characters ended up in the positions they did. It’s frustrating and funny (in hindsight), but eventually works out in the end. We got our act together by the after party and you’ll have to check out Mandelski’s novel to see how Kov and Bailey fared.

While it does read young and can — at times — be rather repetitive this cute contemporary is sweeter than the Psychedeliccinos Bailey serves at the Java Infusion. If you’re looking for a quick flashback read, or are needing some inspiration for your own promposal, check out this butterfly-inducing romance today!

4.5 stars — I don’t know what it was about this one, but I was just sucked in and connected with both Alex and Bailey, hardcore. I felt all the tummy tingles, and even the agony of bad decisions and daily life things they were struggling with…as a result, the entire book being about neither of them communicating their feelings and taking a chance didn’t bother me quite as much. It’s a delicate balance, that trope, and it doesn’t always work for me. But I loved these two so much that my annoyances just got pushed down, you know?

Bailey was fun, feisty, and I truly admired her drive to do whatever it took to achieve her goals, and her understanding that that means hard work. She also just felt very normal, you know? Like I could really imagine her existing. I thought her hangup about being poor and being a bit embarrassed by that, as well as defiant when someone judged her for it, was portrayed really well. It’s not that she didn’t frustrate me with that, because that hangup led to her being blinded to other things going on, but it felt very human, you know? How we see things from our own bubble based on our own perspectives, and we always assume other people have it better if their lives are different. It was a really interesting and realistic trait for her to have.

I loved how opposite Alex was to Bailey in many ways — he had his own issues and struggles, but they were entirely different things from her. And I loved that despite them being a bit opposite, they still really connected. I thought Alex was actually quite adorable, especially with the way he crushed on Bailey and how that confused him…but my heart also ached for him and his loneliness from having absentee parents. I thought that just like with Bailey, Ms. Mandelski gave us a guy who had flaws and wasn’t perfect, but who had a good heart underneath. You could really feel the change in him, and how he wasn’t sure how to deal with it…and again, just like with Bailey, I appreciated his own growth story, learning to appreciate working for the things you want.

Seriously, they both felt so real, and they even felt realistically teenager-y even — like they had bad attitudes occasionally (especially towards their parents), and OMG the whining and dramatics…but instead of making them unlovable, they just sort of reminded me of what it was like to be a teen.

I ADORED the chemistry between these two — I had so many butterflies over their crushes on one another. I did get a bit frustrated with both of them being chickens and assuming things about the other, but the tingly moments mostly made up for that. The closet dance, the first kiss…*sigh* GOOD STUFF.

While they didn’t take up much space in the story, there was still a good set of secondary characters. The parents were kind of cool in that they were flawed, but not evil or black and white. Same with Devon — I appreciated that author didn’t make her over the top bad, or a slut, or whatever. So many teen books fall into those traps of taking the easy way. I mean, she wasn’t always nice, but she was a normal level of bitchy.

I was a bit worried that Caleb was going to get screwed over again (for those that read the first book), but it wasn’t too bad. I don’t want to give that story away, but I was relieved. Although, I seriously want his story. Like please tell me he gets a story.

So yeah. This one had me up until 3am finishing it because my tummy was INVESTED yo. I call that a success!

3.7/5 Stars.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

This book summarized in points:
- Drama
- Drama
- Drama
- Misunderstanding
- Miscommunication
- Friends to romance
- Popular guy

I was very surprised by 1) how short this book is, and 2) that this book started off as Alex and Bailey already being friends (instead of us getting to see how their "unexpected" relationship flourish from a bit of an angsty romance). I'm happy to say that despite this not being my first-choice of hate-love relationship, the romance is still pretty cute (and not too unenjoyable).

However, the short length of the book also made this book extremely forgettable. The book had absolutely nothing about it that would make me want to re-read it. It was pleasant, but that is...actually the perfect adjective to summary and describe my experience with this book. It was just pleasant. Nothing less, nothing more.

I also don't like how much of the book's conflict surrounds misunderstandings and wrongly accused drama. It's extremely shallow, and with the book being so short, I think it would've been a great opportunity for the author to channel this length to write about coming of age, young love, and courage instead.

DNF at 53%

Firstly, I had no idea this was the second book in a series. However, the book read well as a standalone, and I was never confused by the story. Secondly, I have a hard time when a single honest conversation can solve everyone's problems. Bailey and Alex like each other but constantly fight their connection because they don't think the other person feels the same way. I was okay with their dance for the first half of the book, but I really thought things would change after they kissed.

Things did not change after they kissed. Instead, everything became more awkward, and they looked for more reasons to justify their silence while wallowing in self-pity. He would make assumptions about her and she would do the same to him. After awhile, I just couldn't do it anymore.

The story was enjoyable (except for the lack of communication), and the characters were interesting. I originally thought Alex would get on my nerves, but he was a decent guy trying to do the right thing. Bailey is hardworking and determined to reach her goals, while simultaneously trying to navigate her friendship with Alex. They made a good team, so it was even more frustrating when they refused to admit their feelings for one another.

I also wish the secondary characters had been more involved in the story, because I found a few of them to be really interesting (maybe they have a bigger focus in the previous book?). I enjoyed the setup and the idea of promposals, but the lack of communication really bugged me.

For a second opinion, check out Sam's (We Live and Breathe Books) review on Goodreads!

*this review will post on my blog, Goodreads, and Amazon on 9/30/18

Love and Other Secrets is such a cute story!

One thing that I loved was that we start with Alex POV instead of Bailey. So it starts it off with the guy liking the girl before the girl realizing she likes him. I guess she knows but he is the one pining while she is the one who figures she should move on. I just thought that part of it was really interesting.

I really liked both characters. Bailey has set her sights on a career in film/movies and nothing is going to stop her. She has a passion for chasing her dream. Alex, the lacrosse star, has what seems like the perfect life but is kind of on his own. Seems to be more adrift with his ambitions. He’s afraid to make too big of a leap.

It was cute to see Alex fumble, even if he really messes things up at times. He has Bailey, who is his safe space, since his parents are never around. I think he both wants more with her but also is afraid to lose what he has. There was just so much cuteness with it. Plus the craziness of promposals is just funny. I couldn’t imagine doing that or having someone ask me that way.

I really liked the pacing of the book as well. When the big event happens, there isn’t a rush to the finish line after. There is time for Bailey and Alex to figure things out. It gave more umph when we finally get to the conclusion.

This is a light and fun read and definitely a little different. I really enjoyed the story.

I received a copy of LOVE AND OTHER SECRETS on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author.

Five stars and here's why:

I love fantastic opposites attract love stories with a sprinkling of best friends to lovers and Christina Mandelski delivers my two favorite tropes in one big epic promposal romance! The author does a great job of sucking you right into the story with the conflict between Alex and Bailey and soon you’re glued to the pages. Serious book hanger.

LOVE AND OTHER SECRETS made me LOL in so many places. He’s naughty. She’s nice. He’s the hella-hot bad boy with a heart of gold. She’s the geeky yet gorgeous good girl striving for a better life outside the trailer park. The cow promposal had me snorting my latte – it was seriously that funny.

Prepare to start this YA story and not put it down until the very end. If you love hella, hot guys and sweet yet sassy girls, then this story’s for you. Highly recommend.

Christina Mandelski scores with LOVE AND OTHER SECRETES, the second book in The First Kiss Hypothesis series. Edinburgh High school lacrosse player Alex “Kov” Koviak wants to ask his best friend Bailey Banfield to prom, but before he has a chance she asks if he can help her plan a promposal for one of his teammates. This contemporary sports romance is suitable for young adults. It takes place in Florida.

LOVE AND OTHER SECRETES is a cute story. It’s the classic friend who like each other but don’t realize that the feeling is mutual scenario. Alex and Bailey are both great characters. Alex is the rich kid who appears to have everything. What he doesn’t have is his parent’s attention and the girl. Bailey comes from a loving family that doesn’t have a lot of money. She works two jobs and is trying to get a film scholarship to NYU. The two are best friends. They are good for each other.

The plot was entertaining. I enjoyed Bailey’s film project and the whole promposal aspect. My son plays lacrosse, so I like that Alex is an LAX player. I didn’t realize that this was the second book in a series when I got it. I want to go back and read Nora and Eli story, THE FIRST KISS HYPOTHESIS. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. Alex and Bailey were adorable together. I loved their friendship, but they sure do have lots of miscommunication! Alex and Bailey seem to be such opposites, but it really works for them. I like the contrast between the two characters, Alex being the athletic popular guy and Bailey being more the more quiet reserved type. Their family lives are so different as well. Bailey's family is clearly close. While Alex's parents are gone most of the time. I really liked the way the book revolved around prom and promposals. There were some definite hi-jinks involved and some pretty funny moments! These two definitely made assumptions about how the other was feeling constantly. With all that said, this book is all about the sweet relationship between two friends, the possibility of more, and of course some fun promposal shenanigans.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from Entangled Publishing via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bailey and Alex are opposites that become friends. They keep their friendship kinda of a secret. He's popular, athletic, things come easy for him. Bailey is opposite, she works hard for everything, not popular, has 2 jobs. They secretly are in love with each other, but don't tell each other.

She is working on a video for her class, videoing promposals. She then comes up with an idea, and wants to ask one of Alex's teammates to prom. Alex is quite disappointed but helps her anyway just to keep her in his life, but everyday is hard.

I enjoyed this story alot. It was annoying the back and forth and not telling each other, but then I remembered, these are all teenagers....

Sweet story, sweet ending.