Blog Tour: Ciao by Bethany Lopez

Title: Ciao (Stories About Melissa #3)
Author: Bethany Lopez
Pub. Date: Aug. 2012
Find “Ciao”:
Amazon / B&N / Smashwords

Melissa has had a fantastic summer hanging out with her friends and making new ones. Life as she knows it will change when they all come together to begin their sophomore year at Dearborn High. Connections will be made and friendships will be tested. Will Melissa’s family and friends be able to help her through the challenges she will face in the upcoming months?

~Review~

At this point, I feel redundant writing a review for another book in this series. I just can’t say enough, how AMAZING these books are! Check out the links, here, for my reviews of Ta Ta for Now! and xoxoxo.

Okay, but please, oh PLEASE, don’t let my redundancy dissuade you from reading these books! For those of you who are new to this series, let me give you a little info.

Ms. Lopez uses a journal-style of storytelling. Meaning, reading these books is like reading a teenager’s diary. There are sporadic entries–all of which are pertinent to the story. Melissa–or Missy, as her friends call her–gives the reader a peak into her life through her, very-realistic, teenaged writing. There are moments of self-indulgence and there are moments of such a sweet sincerity that I couldn’t help but fall in love with Missy, her family, AND her friends from the beginning.

For anyone who has spent time around teenagers, you know that they are so completely back-and-forth that to write a character that is shallow isn’t fair. Missy is so multi-faceted a character that I can’t help but feel like Ms. Lopez has a brilliant understanding of the teenaged-girl’s mind.

Add to that, that the story is clever and poignant, and this series is a sure-hit!

Ciao takes up pretty much after xoxoxo left off, and the reader is left wondering what we’re going to experience next with Missy. From boy troubles, to family issues this story does not disappoint.

After reading Ta Ta for Now and xoxoxo I learned to not take anything in this series for granted. I learned to expect greatness from Ms. Lopez’s mind. Let me tell you…Ciao takes these expectations and crumbles them…In a GOOD way! Instead of being a simple light, fluffy read, I got to experiece pain and heartache with Missy in a way that I never would have thought could happen.

Ciao is a delightful and beautiful read with everything going for it! Now, I suggest catching up on this series before Stories About Melissa #4 comes out!

My Rating:

~About the Author~

Bethany Lopez was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Michigan and San Antonio, Texas. She went to High School at Dearborn High, in Dearborn, Michigan, which is where she has set her Young Adult novel. She is married and has a blended family with five children. She is currently serving in the United States Air Force as a Recruiter in Los Angeles, California. She has always loved to read and write and has seen her dream realized by independently publishing her contemporary Young Adult series, Stories About Melissa. Ta Ta for Now! and xoxoxo are available now.

I am so pleased that I got to be a part of this blog tour, and find these WODNERFUL books! Thank you to Ms. Lopez for this great opportunity! Let me know what you all think!