<em>Stuck With You</em> by Christina Mandelski is pretty run of the mill as far as teen romances go. And it doesn't really stand out all that much. There were really only two things that actually did and both weren't for what I personally would consider great reasons. This is the kind of book that I, now and as a teenager, would read and forget about. After getting through it, I would find that I just don't care on smidge about any of it.

Catie and Caleb's parents have been friends forever and thus this resulted in the two of them growing up basically side by side. Best friends until he decided he was annoyed with her and they quickly turn enemies, the two have their summer plans unexpectedly foiled when they meet shows up at the beach house their family shares. The beach house that they had both believed they would have to themselves. Meanwhile, they're both also struggling under the pressure their families have put on them to continue the business they began together while each wants to go off and do their own thing.

Thus ensues a rather monotonous tale in which Catie and her friends try to have a good time at the beach, meeting college boys and the like, while Caleb fights with his jealousy and male bravado based, "I must protect this girl at all costs" against his respect for her as an autonomous woman and his surprise at realizing that he's in-super-like with her. Now, while I find this sweet at times, I also found it massively unrealistic. Firstly, jealousy doesn't quite work that way and it often makes people out to be jerks. I don't really expect that an eighteen year old boy to really have the level of maturity required for that, though I suppose some can surprise me. And to be fair, Caleb did have some lapses in his judgement on these things.

But ultimately, I just never found him believable as a character. Especially later on when he got into blatantly refusing something I'm pretty sure the majority of teenage boys would never turn down. But bravo to Caleb for being one of the few boys in "existence" who wouldn't immediately jump at such an opportunity? I just find it unlikely. Especially given the circumstances. And sure, it's an ideal, but let's be honest with ourselves here.

My biggest complaint with the book, though, was the unfortunate reference to asexuality that implied a complete lack of understanding for what it means to be asexual in the first place coming from the author. Not only that, but it was so insensitive and made me feel extremely uncomfortable. The phrase referenced an "asexual plant" and was used to imply that one has to be such to not recognize how attractive someone is. It was a single line in the novel, but it was something I found problematic.

Ultimately, I don't think that's enough to condemn the book entirely, but when the story was only mediocre to begin with, it definitely took a hit for the comment.

All in all, I see <em>Stuck With You</em> as very forgettable with characters who I never really bought into. The resolution to all conflicts was too easy and quick. The chemistry was minimal. The characters themselves weren't all that interesting for me in the first place. They also weren't super believable. Plus, it even had the random best friend with "wise" advice constantly telling the main character how much she likes the boy or how much he likes her trope, which I <em>really</em> hate. And while it's not a terrible book, I know I probably won't remember much about it or care to read it again at any point in the future.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

Review link on blog to go live on 08/31/19.

Stuck with You is the third book in The First Kiss Hypothesis series. It’s still a standalone. I haven’t read all the books in the series and I wasn’t lost at all. Caleb has had a tough 6 months and needs a break from his life before college, so he heads to his family’s beach house in Texas for the week. He’s upset when he realizes Catie, his old childhood friend, is staying at the house the same week too. Caleb and Catie’s families have quite a history. They own a business and this beach house together, and their parents have been planning their wedding since birth. Unfortunately for them, Caleb and Catie do not get along and a week of forced togetherness is last on both their lists.

This was a cute young adult romance book. I liked Caleb’s character. However, Catie makes it pretty difficult to like her at all. She’s kind of your stereotypical teenage girl with a lot of attitude and her friends were not awesome either. I liked Caleb and Catie’s past growing up together, but wished there was a little more about their present. The epilogue was pretty good.

* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was like a breath of fresh air.

It was the perfect read before classes started back up and I loved every second of it.

Stuck With You had alternating chapters told by both Caitie and Caleb, the protagonists. Caitie and Caleb grew up together but drifted apart over the years. When they're forced to spend a week alone together at their family's shared beach house, exciting things happen!

I really loved the dynamic between them, it was like no time had passed since the last time they'd hung out. Despite them refusing at first, i really liked that they encouraged each other to follow their dreams.

Caleb was so selfless I really appreciated what he was doing for his family, even if it cost him everything.

Cannot wait to see what else Christina comes up with.

Def recommend this book if you love short, cheesy, ya contemporary novels.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I will be adding her to my watch list! This book is full of well developed characters, and a plot that genuinely draws you into the story. I loved that the characters were going through the same thing which drew them together in such a powerful way! This story had romance, family and the beach; a perfect combination.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I wasn't sure about Caleb and Catie, but I was really happy with the way things turned out for them.

Caleb and Catie had been in each other's orbits for as long as they could remember. They were childhood friends, who became frenemies in their teens, but it seemed as though both may have been harboring romantic feelings for each other.

I am always on board for a friends-to-more romance, and this one had all the things I love in spades. These two had so much history, and many of my favorite moments were when they shared those memories from the past with us. I also adored the way they knew each other so well. They grew up together, and their families were super close, therefore, it was impossible for them to not have a deep connection with each other, and it really added something special to their story.

I also really that both Catie and Caleb were at a crossroads in their lives. They were struggling with their pre-destined futures (as determined by their parents), and it was together, that they were able to work through their inner turmoil and build up the courage to take those next steps.

A quick list of other things I liked:
• Awesome beach setting
• Fun antics with the girls
• Catie's grandfather and Mo ❤️
• Engineering and protecting the beach from hurricanes
• A fantastic epilogue

I really enjoyed this friends-to-frenemies-to-more story, and was so pleased with the choices the characters made for themselves and for each other. It had teen antics, some great family moments, and a really sweet romance. The ending was also so, so good, and left me with all the warm and fuzzy feels.

Caleb has a scholarship to a school in Florida and plays lacrosse.caleb moved to Florida when his family's business ventured out of Texas.catie the bossy and annoying girl he knows is using the beach house he's staying at.catie has a different idea of what to do with her life then her parents.i wasn't sure how to feel about their college majors and the distance.

When they were children Caleb Gray and Catie Dixon use to constantly be thrown together by their parents; family outings, social gatherings, they were always joined at the hip. Then as they began to age, and make new friends in middle school the pair began to drift apart. Ultimately becoming mere strangers to one another... but little do they know they are about to be thrown together again, this time by their mistake.

With their first years of college looming, being smothered by their parents expectations, and questioning their futures, these two are both in need of a little downtime. Which places them at their families shared beach house, and facing a reunion they never saw coming!

Between the pages of Stuck with You lies a sweet story of young love, friendship, and second chances. Watching these two reunite and try to stand their ground and resist their attraction to one another was quite entertaining. Their stolen glances, awkward interactions, and secret swoons reminded me just how sweet and innocent young love can be... they had me smiling more than a few times. I have to say this first time read left quite the impression, it's well penned words warmed my heart and kept me thoroughly entertained from start to finish! Highly recommend!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, via NetGalley request, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.

This was a very nice, easy read. Two young adults trying to figure out what to do with their lives with the pressure of their parents expectations on top of them.

I don't have any real criticism over the book, cause it was perfect the way it was!

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

3/5 stars

After loving the first two books in the series (1st was a 4 star and 2nd a 5 star) I was excited to get my hands on this one. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the swooniness of the first two. I wasn't a fan of the two of them in a beach house alone (due to age of Catie). I also didn't connect to either Caleb or Catie at all. So much was brought up of their growing up together which seemed more interesting than the present to me. Overall the two characters just didn't invest me like before. If you can overlook the lack of present relationship development it is a quick read. I think my favorite part was the dinner at the professor's.

My Thoughts:

Stuck with you is the first book that I've read by Christina Mandelski, but it certainly won't be my last. This story was so sweet, romantic, and heartfelt. It had all of the elements that I look for in a young adult contemporary romance!

I didn't realize that it was a part of The First Kiss Hypothesis Series, and now I can't wait to go back and read the two previous books, because I know that I'll be in for a treat! Nevertheless, this book can be read as a standalone. I was not lost in the least, and what I gathered from this story was that the two previous books were about the male lead's best friends.

Katie Dixon and Caleb Gray were inseparable as kids. Their parents were best friends, owned a flooring and tile business together, and vacationed together in the beach house that they co-owned. Then, they grew apart in middle school. Katie followed Caleb around and had the hugest crush on him, but to all appearances she annoyed him, and they ended up distancing themselves from each other.

Caleb resided in Florida with his parents for the last six months of his senior year in high school, while they opened up a new location for the business. Catie and her parents stayed in central Texas. Caleb ends up deciding to stay at the beach house for two weeks before he begins his freshman year in college, because he is unhappy with his decisions regarding college, and needs some quiet time to think and reflect. Katie goes to the beach house with her two best friends to have a good time. Neither Caleb nor Catie are aware that the other person will be there....

I enjoyed learning about Caleb and Catie's feelings and history regarding one another. It was fun watching Catie and her friends interact and have a good time, and made me reflect on how fun and carefree it was to be a teenager. The romance between Caleb and Katie was extremely slow burn, authentic, and I adored every minute of it. I loved watching Caleb struggle with his feelings for Catie, and enjoyed his self reflection regarding how his feelings for her went from loving his best friend, to thinking Catie was annoying and bossy, to realizing that he had been in love with her all along.

Katie and Caleb were opposites as far as first appearances went, but once they both dug a little deeper, we got to see that they had some of the same struggles concerning their futures, and weighing what they wanted to do with their lives and were passionate about, versus the weight of family expectations, obligations, and responsibilities. Katie was a bit more chill than Caleb realized, and he was more serious and intense than the image he had always projected.

Something that warmed my heart was the relationship that Catie shared with her grandfather, who suffered from M.S. Even though it didn't get a ton of page time, everytime these two interacted it brought tears to my eyes. Catie's friends Sunny and Ainsely were fun and provided me with a few laughs throughout the story. Caleb's dogmas a fun part of the relationship as well, and was very attached to Catie.

Stuck with You was a story that I was totally engrossed in. It made me reminisce, brought out laughter, ands smiles, as well as the sense log happiness that a reader gets from reading a feel-good story. It had depth, but was still a light, and charming story full of warmth and the good type of "feels!"

Stuck With You by Christina Mandelski a five-star read that you will keep you stuck between the pages. This was a sublime beech read, it really puts you in the mood, Catie was a great character, her friends I didn’t like as much, but they are teenage girls so you can’t expect miracles. Caleb was not what I was expecting, and he wormed his way in, he was someone that just had a great way about him, you can imagine him going far, especially when you get to know his foibles when he was younger. Overall this is a great story and one you won’t want to miss.

I'm not quite sure what to rate this one. Personally, I found the voices of the characters to be written very young and immature, even though this is considered a YA novel. I love YA, even though I am way past that point in life, but I still couldn't really get into this one. However, I still think it would be an adorable summer read for teen girls!

I was looking for a cute romance to read and Stuck With You was such a great choice. Catie and Caleb are great characters and I enjoyed the story. Can't wait to share this one with the teenage girls that visit my library.

I picked this book up a few days ago thanks to receiving it on netgalley and judging by the sound of the synopsis I was expecting it to be a great read, however it starts off to slow for my liking. Like there’s slow burn and then there’s this it was way too slow. I did enjoy it but not as much as I was expecting, still a solid 4 star read though

This is a cute, light teenage romance. Catie and Caleb have known each other since they were born. Their parents own a business together, where they live in Texas, and are all best friends, so therefor Catie and Caleb have spend tons of time together growing up. In junior high, they did not get a long that well and drifted away from each other through high school as well. During his senior year, Caleb moved to Florida when his parents open a branch of their business there and leaves without saying goodbye. Caleb is committed to a Florida college to play lacrosse and Catie is headed towards her senior year of hs and then wants to go to Northwestern to study journalism although her parents want her to stay in Texas, go to UT and help run the family business. They run into each other accidentally at their family's jointly beach house where Caleb has gone to think and Catie has gone with a couple friends. C and C end up spending more and more time together and rediscovering each other in a new way. Great summer teenage romance--quick read!

Sweet and romantic, this ya book was a fun summer read! The issues that the teenager are dealing with are realistic at for their ages and the story was quick to read. It kept my interest and was a delightful ya romance that I will recommend to my students looking for a sweet, summer vibe, read! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thought this book’s summary showed promise, but ultimately, I found it to be a little less substantial than what I was looking for. Due to my busy schedule, I have to be very exacting about what I choose to read; this is one book I’m not sure about, so I’m not finishing, even though it has potential. I couldn’t get into it.