I preferred this book to all of the other books that I have read of The Wedding Planner's Daughter series. Star-Crossed Summer is the third instalment of Willa's life and things couldn't be better. Finally, her and her crush are together, her mum and her step-dad are expecting a baby and Willa is planning a wedding for two people. However, when a mystery girl appears out of nowhere Willa finds herself getting jealous, a little too quickly, and that things may be turning upside down. And after an adventurous few weeks, she begins to see her whole world crashing around her, where things couldn't be worse.Personally, this book was much better then the previous books in the series. Willa has developed into a much more relatable character. She's not all fabulously kind, she has feelings of anger that are a lot more genuine then the previous emotions portrayed in the earlier books. Also, the dramas in this book are a lot more relatable to the typical teenage girl, which is nice and refreshing. There is a girl who wants to steal your boyfriend and the heartbreaking drama that happens to Willa's mother, Stella, and her step-dad, Sam. There is also a lot more heartache towards the grieving of Mr Tweed, as the family adjust to him passing on. Again, there isn't a massive link to the previous book, because a lot of this book comes from its own story etc, however if you wanted all of the facts and to follow the decent back story, then reading the previous book would be a good idea. But this is a good technique because you don't feel like you're re-reading the previous book nor are you missing out when you have the subtle overviews of the previous book. The characters were a lot more fleshy and yet again, you could present your own opinion of them without loosing the authors own ideas of the book. I like how the character of JFK has definitely changed in personality, and you're often questioning whether or not he is right for Willa and if he was the one who kissed Mariel etc. The jealousy is a definite relatable factor for all young girls, and Coleen has presented it beautifully. I also love how in this situation you begin to question whether or not Tina was lying.The quotes at the beginning were refreshing and nice, but honestly - I sometimes skipped over them. I wanted to read this book in a hurry as it's a small book that should be a light read, and some of the quotes took up most of the page. However, the quotes that I did read were simple, cute and related to the upcoming chapter. All of the chapter titles were beautiful, and I love the metaphors behind Mum's throwing the sunflowers out and following the 'Sunflower road'. One downside to this book is that I feel like the beginning drags on sometimes and that the end is rushed. A lot of the ending chapters are very short and come to an abrupt end. I'd have loved to have learnt more towards why Tina thought JFK kissed someone else, but to fit in other endings for other situations, that chapter was over too quickly. I also feel like the ending wasn't as predictable, but at the same time it was slightly naive of Willa to just accept that someone has lied to her, whether it was Tina and JFK.Overall, I feel like this book is ideal for a younger reader. Someone who is growing up and is in that awkward stage of their life. At the same time though, I think some young readers may struggle to get into it all as the book is actually very metaphorical and can be slightly hard to process sometimes. I do like the fleshy setting of Cape Cod and all of the quotes behind the story and the romance side, but I am glad this story isn't completely romance-based like the previous books. There are a couple of weddings, but its not as bridal and fake as the previous book. It just seemed too lad-di-da for me beforehand. But this book is definitely different and I like it. I appreciate that I am not the target audience, but at the same time I did slightly enjoy this book. There were a few chapters that were slightly irritating to me, but purely because I had connected with Willa and wanted to find out what was happening elsewhere, yet we were stuck in a smaller drama. I do like how Willa's character is kind hearted as well as being dreamy too, because it shows good morals towards younger readers. But at the same time I would've loved to see her grow more, fight a little. Not in a negative way, but just to give her a more daring side would be interesting for me.
Mungkin karena nggak baca nomer pertamanya, jadi agak keder jg langsung baca nomer tiga dari seri ini. Ceritanya tentang seorang anak remaja yang tinggal sama ibu dan ayah tirinya. Ibunya ini punya usaha wedding planner, ayahnya ngajar di sekolahnya. Kalo gak salah nangkep sih, Willa ini yang dulu ngejodohin ibunya dengan pak gurunya yg skrg jadi ayah tirinya. Mereka punya usaha penginapan, dan neneknya Willa ini punya book store plus toko candy (permennya itu racikan sendiri). Pokoknya semua serba perfect deh.Alur ceritanya simple, ringan, konfliknya jg gak terlalu berlibet. Tipikal bacaan santai gitu deh. Gimana Willa, yang baru punya pacar, ngerasa jealous ketika ada seorang gadis yang deket sama pacarnya itu. Trus Willa yang pingin dapet pemeran utama di sebuah drama, tapi malah gadis itu yang dapet. Trus Willa yang bantuin ibunya mengorganisir dua pernikahan sekaligus, gitu-gitu deh.Manis, dan dibeberapa scene ada juga yang membuat terharu. Cuma mungkin akan lebih afdol kalo bisa baca dari nomer satu, kali ya?
What do You think about Willa By Heart (2008)?
You ever go to a bookstore and see a book and just grab it without reading the back? Long ago I read the two books previous to Willa by Heart and I loved them. This one didn't disappoint. It was a light read, full of love of all kinds. There's pain too, all sorts of it which makes you feel all the more connected to the characters.This book makes you want to read the great classics of literature, have a picnic, eat some salt water taffy, start a book store, and head to the nearest beach to watch the sun rise. It's full of wonderful quotes and I can imagine myself rereading this on a rainy day.
—Tally
Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.comWilla is looking forward to spending another fun summer on Cape Cod and auditioning for the local production of Our Town. She thinks that she and boyfriend, Joey, are perfect for the lead roles. She's also keeping busy planning weddings at the Bramble Inn, and preparing to become a big sister.But when the beautiful new girl ends up getting the lead in Our Town over Willa, Willa isn't sure what will become of her and Joey!I adore THE WEDDING PLANNER'S DAUGHTER series. Each book is like taking a vacation with Willa to Cape Cod, and they're the perfect summer reads.Willa's story gets better with each book and this one is no different. Willa is such a fun, bubbly person that you can't help but smile when you read about her and want to cheer her on through the tough times. They might look like a light read, but Ms. Paratore tackles some tough issues and handles them delicately, which makes this series more than just a light, fluffy read.Even though they are marketed mostly to the tween set, I've given this series to teens and adults alike who have fallen in love with Willa. At times reminiscent of classics such as ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, fans of old-fashioned stories will enjoy this series.I'll always be eager to read more about Willa and her life on Cape Cod.
—Jennifer Wardrip
Willa by heart is a is an incrible book witch shows an teenage girl grow up through a course of events.Willa and JFK are officially a couple, and she couldn’t be happier with how things at home as well.Then Mariel shakes up her world,pretty, interesting, and Willas sucpects that shes taking the attention of JFK.Then Willa hears that a performance of Our Town is going to be put on. She decides to tryout for the part of Emily, and JFK agrees to tryout for the part of Emily’s love interest.The would perfect fr parts but Mariel gets th part of Emily ,this fills Willa her anger and jelousy. Through coping with Mariel she discovers that change can be worrying, and even painful, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.I would recomened this book .I loved it and i'm sure you would too!!
—Maria
