Don't Kiss the Messenger by Katie Ray Pages: 285
Published by Entangled: Crush on April 10, 2017
Series: Edgelake High School #1
Genres: Young Adult, contemporary, Romance, retelling
Source: eARC from Publisher
For most of her teenage life, CeCe Edmonds has been dealing with the stares and the not-so-polite whispers that follow her around Edgelake High. So she has a large scar on her face—Harry Potter had one on his forehead and people still liked him.
CeCe never cared about her looks—until Emmett Brady, transfer student and football darling, becomes her literature critique partner. The only problem? Emmett isblindsided by Bryn DeNeuville, CeCe’s gorgeous and suddenly shy volleyball teammate.
Bryn asks CeCe to help her compose messages that’ll charm Emmett.CeCe isn’t sure there’s anything in his head worth charming but agrees anyway—she’s a sucker for a good romance. Unfortunately, the more messages she sends and the more they run into each other, the more she realizes there’s plenty in his head, from food to literature. Too bad Emmett seems to be falling for the wrong girl…
Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book involves one fiercely scarred girl who wants the new guy in town, the new guy who thinks he wants the new girl, and the new girl who really isn’t sure what she wants, and the misunderstanding that brings them all together. This modern Cyrano de Bergerac retelling will make you laugh, swoon, and fall in love.
Don’t Kiss the Messenger is a the first book in the young adult contemporary series, called Edgelake High School by Katie Ray. Katie Ray is actually a new name for YA author Katie Kacvinsky (who wrote the books- First Comes Love, Second Chance, Finally Forever, Awaken, Middle Ground, and Still Point). I have never read any of Katie’s books, but I have to say I absolutely LOVED Don’t Kiss the Messenger. I can’t wait for the next book in the Edgelake High series. Don’t Kiss the Messenger is a retelling of the classic tale of Cyrano de Bergerac. I can’t even tell you how much I loved this version of the story.
Our main character, and this tale’s Cyrano is a young lady named CeCe. Cece was in a very bad car accident and has really significant facial scarring from reconstructive surgeries. CeCe is a school superstar student. She is brilliant but she is also a really excellent student athlete. I loved how well rounded CeCe is. She is a really hard worker and I admired that about her. Plus, she is super sweet and honestly, she is a great friend. I loved watching her hit it off with Emmett, the new transfer student. Emmett and CeCe have a really great friendship that I thought developed very naturally. I believed it and their feelings 100%. This is what I wish all YA romances grew out of. Katie Ray did an excellent job showing their chemistry and their bonding. I love Emmett and CeCe!!
But, Emmett falls for the other new transfer student, and CeCe’s volleyball teammate- Bryn. Bryn is beautiful and really sweet, but I found myself wishing she were not so one dimensional and superficial. I kept wanting to see a glimpse of more from her. Don’t get me wrong, she is a sweet girl…but I was kind of with CeCe, I have no idea how Emmett fell for it for one second. One conversation with Bryn and you know everything about her. I am very ready to be proven wrong about her. I have a feeling that the next book is going to be about her and I can’t wait! I have an inkling as to who is going to be her romantic interest and I am really excited for their story.
But now back to CeCe and Emmett. I loved watching their journey. I thought this was the perfect modern take on Cyrano de Bergerac. I laughed, I cried, I cheered when they finally got together. This book made me feel great. Plain and simple. And I loved that about it. I can’t wait to read more from Katie Ray. This was a total hit with me. If you like really well written YA romances with awesome characters and a real, believable connection and slow build romance, Don’t Kiss the Messenger is going to be a favorite of yours. Trust me, you do not want to miss out on this gem.
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About Katie Ray
Katie Ray (also known by her previous author name, Katie Kacvinsky) writes teen and new adult fiction novels. Her books have been nominated for YALSA awards, and First Comes Love was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. Her screenplay, A High Note, was a semifinalist in the Austin Screenplay Competition in 2015. She currently lives in Ashland, Wisconsin with her husband, two children, and a slightly insane dog.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
patty
No I don’t have anything !
Sam
This book sounds adorable. I can always depend on Crush for a cute, fun read.
Sam @ WLABB
Angela
From your review, it seems an interesting book. The plot is great and I will read it as soon as possible.
Autumn
This book sounds super cute and Cece sounds like a pretty interesting character. I love high school drama!