Thanks, Carissa, for Ruining My Life

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Johannah SperoVerified Purchase Juicy love triangle Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2022 Brad and Rose, two lost souls, blame Carissa Hayward for their sorry luck...until they realize that her actions brought out the best in them, and brought them together. A juicy love triangle that kept me cheering for the underdog, yet sympathizing with the "villain." Easy... See more Brad and Rose, two lost souls, blame Carissa Hayward for their sorry luck...until they realize that her actions brought out the best in them, and brought them together. A juicy love triangle that kept me cheering for the underdog, yet sympathizing with the "villain." Easy to read and a joy, the story was one I couldn''t wait to get back to. Highly recommended!

On a side note, I read much of this book on the elliptical...and felt a kinship with Rose during her tough workouts! Many times, it kept me going when I wanted to quit. :) Helpful

Amazon CustomerVerified Purchase Page Turner! Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2022 I couldn’t put this book down! It captured me from the first page to the last. I loved reading about Brad & Rose and how the book alternated their points of view, sometimes switching mid conversation. Highly recommend! Helpful

Amazon CustomerVerified Purchase A Journey of Two Old Souls Finding Each Other Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2022 A beautifully written story of the trials and tribulations of young love, high-school drama, rough times and family struggles. Also a story of strength, friendship, hope and most of all love. A reminder true love us the greatest joy! 💓 Helpful

Woody WoodburnVerified Purchase Thanks, Carissa, for a terrific novel! Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2022 I loved how this page-turner unfolds via alternating narrators -- and even though it''s a "YA" novel this 61-yewr-old thoroughly enjoyed it! Helpful

Melissa’s Bookshelf Cute YA coming of age story! Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2022

Enjoyed this cute coming of age YA romance by Dallas Woodburn! The writing really drew me in and I became completely invested in the characters and story. There were so many great messages and I loved the friendship/romance between Rose & Brad. It’s a sweet story of self... See more Enjoyed this cute coming of age YA romance by Dallas Woodburn! The writing really drew me in and I became completely invested in the characters and story. There were so many great messages and I loved the friendship/romance between Rose & Brad. It’s a sweet story of self acceptance, resilience, true friendship, and real love.

“Love means gaining pieces of yourself that you never new existed.”

Brad is devastated when his beautiful, popular girlfriend breaks up with him. Determined to win her back, he develops a self improvement plan. He exercises, gets a dream job at a radio station, learns to play guitar, reads, etc. Soon he finds he’s no longer doing it for Carissa, but for himself. The only person he misses is Carissa’s sister Rose.

Rose’s life is ruined when her twin sister Carissa nominates her for reality show Help Me Lose Weight and Live Again. She flies to Texas and undergoes an intense weight loss exercise program. Constantly surrounded by cameras and intensely scrutinized, she suffers some embarrassing situations, but gains a new friendship. Still, she can’t forget her sister’s boyfriend Brad and wishes she could be more to him than just a friend.

There’s a surprising amount of depth in this story. Both Brad and Rose undergo a lot of growth. I loved Rose’s brilliant speech she gives at the end of the show and Brad’s discovery that lasting love is based on true friendship.

Despite a lot of miscommunication, there is a happy ending. Even Carissa who starts out really mean, manipulative, and selfish, begins to redeem herself. Loved Holly, Daniel, and Leo who stick by Rose and Brad through their difficult times.

I recommend this to teens and adults! Clean with some passionate kissing. Very brief mentions of alcohol and getting drunk, no kids actively drink in the story. No swearing. For sensitive readers, there’s a cancer diagnosis and discussions of weight loss. Thanks so much to the author for providing an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review. Helpful

Jasmine *Simple Reader* 5/5 Fluttering-Heart Stars Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2022 Thanks, Carissa, for Ruining My Life is a super cute, light-hearted, and extremely uplifting Coming-of-Age romance story. This book is one of the best comfort reads I’ve ever had as the writing style makes it easier to fall in love with the main characters, whose... See more Thanks, Carissa, for Ruining My Life is a super cute, light-hearted, and extremely uplifting Coming-of-Age romance story. This book is one of the best comfort reads I’ve ever had as the writing style makes it easier to fall in love with the main characters, whose personalities are simply too distinctively down-to-earth not to be friends with.

What I appreciate most about this book is that the characters are incredibly lovable as everything they experience is somewhat indispensable in our lives, making their adventures much more relatable. With the spectacularly eloquent writing style, I can easily resonate with Brad, Rose, and even Carissa to some extent, and I’m truly in awe. Never in a million years do I expect to feel so close to fictional characters; thus, this story will definitely stay with me for a very long time.

Lastly, I’d like to wrap up this review by saying that Thanks, Carissa, for Ruining My Life is undoubtedly the best choice for Coming-of-Age, YA Contemporary Romance book recommendation. The story teaches us how to be a better person by constantly being KIND, spreading POSITIVITY, and putting yourself in others’ shoes as often as you can. You never know whether it’s also a hard decision for someone like Carissa—who seems superficial on the outside but is actually a big softie on the inside—to RUIN your life by doing what she does.

All in all, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND Thanks, Carissa, for Ruining My Life and though this book is my first by this author, it certainly won’t be the last. Helpful

Tracie Gutknecht Full of positive messages Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2022 This book has everything that you would want from a book in this genre - characters that experience growth and change as well as messages of positivity. At the beginning of the novel, Carissa has ruined both her twin sister Rose and her now ex-boyfriend Brad''s... See more This book has everything that you would want from a book in this genre - characters that experience growth and change as well as messages of positivity.

At the beginning of the novel, Carissa has ruined both her twin sister Rose and her now ex-boyfriend Brad''s lives. She signed Rose up to be on a reality show like Biggest Loser and she broke up with Brad right before the start of their senior year. Brad makes a list of things he can do to get Carissa back and sets about changing his life. Rose goes to fat camp, but is doing so under protest. She is the people pleasing twin and she just wants to make everyone else happy.

Both Rose and Brad do make changes that impact their life in a positive way and Carissa isn''t as perfect as they both thought originally.

The story is good, but not necessarily super original. Also, the writing felt very juvenile, even for a YA novel. This might be better classified as middle grade even though the characters are seniors in high school. Helpful

Jennifer Cute Friends to Lovers YA Story Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2022 This is a friends to lovers romance about Brad, whose girlfriend Carissa just broke up with him and Rose, Carissa''s twin sister. Brad wants to win Carissa back and is on a self improvement journey to do so. At least, in the beginning he is. Carissa has secretly nominated... See more This is a friends to lovers romance about Brad, whose girlfriend Carissa just broke up with him and Rose, Carissa''s twin sister. Brad wants to win Carissa back and is on a self improvement journey to do so. At least, in the beginning he is. Carissa has secretly nominated Rose for a weight loss TV show so she is there for three months of her senior year of high school, not exactly the year she was hoping for.

Thanks, Carissa, is a cute YA romance that was a lot of fun to read. At first I was more interested in Rose''s chapters (it switches POV between her and Brad) but I quickly became invested in both of them. I really loved the way Brad treated Rose. He always cared for her and wanted to be there for her even before she was this ‘new’ version of herself. Rose’s journey to self love was great and I loved her little speech on the reality show.

This is a great story about friendship and accepting yourself just the way you are.

Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Helpful Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.