"Listen to Your Heart" by Kasie West

Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: Hardback/ Library
Publication: May 2018
Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars

From Goodreads: Talking to other people isn't Kate Bailey's favorite activity. She'd much rather be out on the lake, soaking up the solitude and sunshine. So when her best friend, Alana, convinces Kate to join their high school's podcast, Kate is not expecting to be chosen as the host. Now she'll have to answer calls and give advice on the air? Impossible.

But to Kate's surprise, she turns out to be pretty good at the hosting gig. Then the podcast gets in a call from an anonymous guy, asking for advice about his unnamed crush. Kate is pretty sure that the caller is gorgeous Diego Martinez, and even surer that the girl in question is Alana. Kate is excited for her friend ... until Kate herself starts to develop feelings for Diego. Suddenly, Kate finds that while doling out wisdom to others may be easy, asking for help is tougher than it looks, and following your own advice is even harder.

Kasie West's adorable story of secrets, love, and friendship is sure to win over hearts everywhere.

My Thoughts: This was my first Kasie West book, but it won't be my last! While I wasn't a fan of the cover (the heart shaped floats were a little too much for me), I really did enjoy the story! I read it in one weekend (which is fast for me these days as most of my time is spent chasing my toddler around) and I absolutely loved snarky Kate's character and how she handled the situation of falling for her best-friends guy. I won't spoil it for you and tell you what she did, but just know that Kate's character is so refreshing and loyal to not only her friends, but also herself. I also really enjoyed the other characters in the novel, like Frank (who has the BEST wit), Alana, and of course Diego *swoon*. Overall Listen to Your Heart is the perfect fun, light-hearted summer read that I was looking for.

Bottom Line: I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good YA contemporary novel. Also, side note: If you have younger teens this would be perfect for them as well as there is no adult language our explicit scenes in this novel.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars