Listen to your heart by Kasie West

SYNOPSIS

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. 

Synopsis from Goodreads

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PERSONAL REVIEW

West always does a good job in creating a cute storyline that leads to secrets and a “big” fight and then the happy ending we all want...and I don’t mind the predictability of it all. Books like this a great as a quick summer read as you hang out by the pool or beach. I like knowing that there will be a happy ending at the end of her books because I’m a sap like that. In every case, I feel like we’re really seeing West grow as an author and start to create more realistic characters.

Cute Storyline
First, I love that this high school has a podcast class. I wish my school had options like that! Second, I like that this was an opportunity for character growth. In many of West’s first books, the characters and problems all felt very shallow. In this book, Kate is essentially a modern day “Ask Annie” and I think it was a really good idea. I liked how it gave other characters and plot lines a voice (like having to dealing with bullying and peer pressure) and gave us a few other things to focus on beyond the Kate/Diego/Alana storyline. I also liked that we get to see Kate grow, find other interests, and become so much more confident in herself. It’s not a complicated story, but it is a cute one.

Didn’t Like the “Fight for the Guy” Aspect
There’s a small joke about the girls being “anti-feminist” after they make the agreement that they will both go after the guy and let him choose and I had two problems with this. First: it really felt like Alana was only interested in Diego because she had put “so much time into him” already, but she knows how Kate feels about him (actually likes him!) and doesn’t back away. Second, it just felt very forced. I couldn’t really figure out why they were going to “fight” for him; he obviously already likes one of them so they should just ask. And then move on. I was honestly hoping that once Alana found out how much Kate liked Diego she would be mature about it and step aside, since it’s very clear that he’s just a fun challenge for her. Either way, it all works out in the end, but this little conversation and the decisions the characters make just left off too me.

Definitely Seeing Author Growth
As I mentioned previously, I think this was another example of some serious author growth. From “By Your Side” (which I felt was such a cookie-cutter story with little character growth) to “Love, Life, and the List” (which I really liked) and now to “Listen to Your Heart” we are really getting more character and plot development from West. These stories are becoming much more realistic, and with that we are getting better characters that we can connect with. I’m more impressed every time I read one of her books and look forward to what she brings us next!

This was another fun and fluffy read by Kasie West and I really enjoyed it. Her books are light and we know we’re going to get that happy ending, which is great! There were some issues for me with this book, but overall this was a fun story and I really loved Kate and Diego!

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FINAL RATING: 3.5/5