The Chapel Wars by Lindsey Leavitt Pages: 304
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA on May 6, 2014
Genres: Coming of Age, contemporary, Love & Romance, Young Adult
Source: eARC from Publisher
Sixteen-year-old Holly wants to remember her Grandpa forever, but she’d rather forget what he left her in his will: his wedding chapel on the Las Vegas strip. Whatever happened to gold watches, savings bonds, or some normal inheritance? And then there's Grandpa's letter. Not only is Holly running the business with her recently divorced parents, but she needs to make some serious money—fast. Grandpa also insists Holly reach out to Dax, the grandson of her family's mortal enemy and owner of the cheesy chapel next door. No matter how cute Dax is, Holly needs to stay focused: on her group of guy friends, her disjointed family, work, school and... Dax. No wait, not Dax. Holly’s chapel represents everything she’s ever loved in her past. Dax might be everything she could ever love in the future. But as for right now, there's a wedding chapel to save.
I expected this book to be a fun cute read. And it was, but it was also more than that. This really was a coming of age story for Holly. She is a true numbers girl as Dax called her. She is outwardly emotionless- analytical, logical and a “fixer”. The Chapel Wars is about Holly finding out what she wants, who she is and about finding her emotions really. She is only 17 but she takes on so much responsibility that it is really easy to overlook her young age.
I enjoyed Holly immensely. I adored her analogies and see how she explained things. Lindsey Leavitt did such a great job with the writing of this book. It felt very conversational and welcoming. Holly seemed like a friend of mine, and her story felt like we were catching up over coffee. Just like her grandfather said, you can’t help but like Holly. She is like a breath of fresh air, swooping into every room. She has so much energy, she is always working. I was so impressed with how she handled everything with the chapel. Overlooking the minor fact that it would be hard for her to get the chapel outright when she was a minor, everything else felt very authentic. I liked exploring the Las Vegas Strip with Holly and Dax.
I loved Dax. I loved his accent. I loved how emotional he was. It was so much the opposite of Holly. It was adorable seeing him try and gauge her reaction and see what she was thinking of the two of them. It was nice to see the guy at a loss about that. Normally it is the girl that is always trying to “define the relationship.”
The Chapel Wars was exactly what I was expecting in some aspects, and completely different in others. I didn’t expect the outcome, and there were more than a few decisions and turning points in the book that surprised me. It kept me on my toes. This was my first experience with a Lindsey Leavitt book, and I am excited to read more of her works because her writing made me feel like I was best friends with the main character.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
kimbacaffeinate
Dax sounds cute and I love an accent. I love when a book is more than you expect and this sounds like a sweet coming of age tale Michelle. Thanks for sharing!
Michelle @ Book Briefs
ooh I love an accent too. For some reason, accents just make it easier for me to “hear” the character in my head. #isthatweird?
Berls @ Fantasy is More Fun
Sounds like an interesting read – I LOVE that the writing made you feel like the MC was your best friend!! For some reason I got a Romeo & Juliet vibe off the synopsis, but from your review it sounds like that vibe was way off… Although maybe it wasn’t since you did say it turned out to be more than you expected? See how I’m fishing lol? Great review!!
Michelle @ Book Briefs
There totally is a romeo and juliet thing going on. It’s a big part of the book actually but for some reason that didn’t stick out to me as the most important or my favorite. I was more excited about Holly’s development.
Missie
I am so excited to read this one and relive my Vegas wedding!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
Lisa @ Lost in Literature
I really enjoyed this book! Dax was awesome and I loved the dynamic between the two. 🙂
Christy
I was curious about this book. I’m totally liking the sound of Holly’s character. I love couples like these two.
Michelle @ Book Briefs
Yea, Holly is a very unique character to me. It was nice to see something out of the ordinary with her.
kindlemom1
I think I would really like Holly. This sounds like my kind of read for sure, surprises and all.
Great review!
Michelle @ Book Briefs
Thanks! Holly is pretty awesome. I hope you get a chance to read this one and that you enjoy it 🙂
Donna @ Book Passion for Life
I NEED this book! It’s high on my wishlist and it just sounds amazing….and so does Dax. I’m glad you enjoyed it! x