Book Review : The Bet by Kimberly Joy Villanueva

Goodreads Description: 

Drake Swift has never lost a bet with his best friend - until now. His punishment? Make a girl in school fall for him and then break up with her just as shes fallen for him. But who would be oblivious enough to fall for that? Her.

Enter Sophia Taylor - quiet, brainy, and unassuming - the perfect pawn for their game. And for Drake, that's all it is - a game. But is it? Drake finds that Sophia is quite more than he bargained for. Perhaps he has her figured out all wrong. The real question is, will Drake win the bet, or will Sophia win him over instead?

 Title: The Bet
Author: Kimberly Joy Villanueva (iluvbooks on wattpad)
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Chick Lit,
Format: Paper Back

Pages: 276
Source: Gifted from friend who got if from the Philippines.

Read the original version on Wattpad

Confession : i found this story in 2011 when i first joined wattpad and randomly typed in 'Taylor Swift fanfic' and this was the top story so yah... Random...

I read the original version back when the author was posting it chapter by chapter on wattpad so this book has a special place in my heart as it not only was it cool that I followed the development of this book but also this was the first Wattpad book I read and loved!

Its been 2 years since i read the original and though I like the publish version
I preferred the original version more.

 There were a handful of typos and several changes from the original including one major story change which i didn't like and threw me off the story for a bit.

I felt like the last one-third of the book was too rushed which made the book even more disappointing for me. Maybe i would have enjoyed the story more if i didn't already read the original but I still like the idea of the story and the characters. 


Drake and Sophia were both likeable but i felt like there could be more development for their characters even though with the bet they both got to know each other more and were really sweet and cute. They also changed each other for the better. Pia stepped out of her shell more while Drake started having a drive or a purpose for the next chapter in his life.


What i don't get is how Drake twin sister is Pia's best friend yet they have never meet prior to The Bet. 

Overall its a cute story that started with a 'simple bet' but developed into something more making 'this love sweeter than fiction'.

Anyone who is a fan of Taylor Swift definitely needs to give the story a go as this indirectly is a Taylor Swift fanfiction!
 
Music lovers will appreciate the playlist the author added at the end of the book as you'll definitely find some awesome songs,some familiar and some new. My fav is Passenger Seat by Stephen Speaks.
 

If you like Wattpad romances you will definitely like this! There are many more Wattpad books published in the Philippines so I might one day pick up more of them as I do have plans to visit there... someday... ^^
 

Also the book has recently been pick up for a movie in the Philippines! I can't wait to see how its gonna look like and I might make a book to movie post on some of the book to movie adaptation I am looking forward to. 

Check out the Author on her Wattpad Page ilurvbooks for more her book including the squeal/spin-off of 'The Bet' Colliding of Fate.

What's your favorite Taylor Swift song?

Mine is Superman, 22 and Sweeter Than Fiction

Book Review : A French Girl in New York (The French Girl series #1) by Anna Adams

Goodreads Description:

Maude Laurent is a spirited sixteen-year-old orphan who grew up in a small, provincial town in the north of France with a passion for piano and a beautiful voice. One day in Paris, she is discovered by an American music producer who takes her to New York to live with him and his close-knit family while producing her first album, with help from teen pop star, Matt. Maude will dive into a new fascinating world discovering New York City, music, family, love and the truth about her past.

Title: A French Girl in New York (The French Girl series #1)
Author: Anna Adams
Genre: Contemporary, YA, Romance, Chick Lit
Format: eBook, Wattpad Book
Pages: -
Source: Read from Wattpad, Free on iBooks.

So I found this randomly on Wattpad which started my addiction to 'The French Girl Series' by Anna Adams. 

Maude, a talented pianist who dreams to be an opera singer lives in rural France with her terrible foster family where they mistreat her, forcing her to work from dusk to dawn like a slave. One day while out on a school excursion in Paris, she stumble upon a cafe where she plays a couple of songs and gets discovered by James Baldwin, music mogul and owner of Soulville Records who gives her a chance to escape France to go to New York to make a record.

I had a couple of issue with the book:

Firstly the narrative was not what I expect since its from first person point of view as I felt like the book would have been better if it was from Maude's POV.

Also the song lyrics... usually in books where the author 'compose' song lyrics are a hit or a miss. This case it is a miss as I found it really cheesy... like overly cheesy...

Maude's character and personality got me hooked from page one! Talented, hard working,Sassy, strong, caring, determine driven and passionate made her a really likeable character. She makes you want to cheer for her to succeed and have a happy ending. Yes like all characters she does some flaws

thanks to her innocent/naive she tend to not make wise decisions at times and sometimes a bit too stubborn for her own good. Her character development in the book is a good setting stone for the idk how many books the author plans to write in the series (she just announced the forth book a few days ago) but seeing her grow personally and professionally is what's gonna make me want to continue reading the series.

Matt. a pop heartthrob who happens to be Maude's song writing mentor is super cocky, witty and most importantly Maude's love interest. While his first meeting with Maude didn't exactly hit off well (literally one of the best moments in the book!), his character grew from the egoistic pop star to a likable, cute, dorky guy that you just can't help but love! 

Ms Tragent, Maude's singing coach is one of those mentors who pushes her to bring out the best in Maude. She reminded me of my piano teacher who was super freaking strict but for a good reason that made me thankful for later. 

 

The Baldwin family who took Maude in with open arms were all amazing! James is a great mentor and 'father figure' for Maude where luck and faith was with him when he discovered Maude. Jasmine who is the same age as Maude but with an opposite personality to her which balance out their friendship. Her confident, enthusiastic personal made her stand out! Also Cynthia, the oldest sister surprise me with her law skills at one point of the book (btw I have a decent background knowledge of law so for me it was a breeze to follow not to mention another favorite part of the book)! I also love the Baldwin's family tradition that incorporate music. 

Overall, the storyline while predicable was a page turner where you want to know what happens to Maude in the end. There were some cliche elements but was nicely balance out with the struggles, love hate relationship between Matt and Maude, the family dynamic with the Baldwin as well as the freaking 'I DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING' plot twist really made the book or me!

Also check it out if you are a music lover and is a fan of 'musical' theme books since the story incorporate classical music and pop music well as the fact that the main character plays the piano which for me motivated me to play the piano more when I was reading this.

  

 A great addictive read that got me hooked onto my ipad/iphone when reading it! A Modern Cinderella retelling with its own unique spin. Great starter to a series! Best part? Its free on iTunes,Amazon, Smaswords and Wattpad so if you want to test out the series definitely pick this up!

Check out the author on her blog Strolling in Storyland for more info in The French Girl series.