Review: P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

I was provided a finished copy of this book via SocialBookCo in exchange for an honest review. SocialBookCo is a new website that not only has a review program for bloggers but also provides price comparisons for books to help readers find the cheapest option. Clicking the above link will take you to their website and also a page that lists where you can buy P.S. I Like You and prices.

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Title: P.S. I Like You
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: Point
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Format: Hardcover

Goodreads Synopsis:

While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue!

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out…

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“Letters were safe. They were words, easy to read if enjoyable and stop reading if hurtful.”

I have read so many rave reviews for Kasie West’s books – P.S. I Like You especially. So, when I was offered the chance to review this I jumped on it straight away. Let me tell you, all of those rave reviews were spot on and well deserved.

In this book, we’re following the story of Lily, a girl who is socially awkward (especially when it comes to boys), quirky, and has the perfect (though sometimes misunderstood) sarcastic sense of humor. One day while in Chemistry, she is caught by her teacher writing song lyrics in a notebook rather than paying attention. Because who didn’t dislike Chemistry in high school? It leads to her being banned from having anything in class except for one sheet of paper and something to write with. To spare herself from boredom she writes song lyrics from her favorite band on her desk. What does she find the next day? That someone has replied to those lyrics with the next few lines. Lily finds not only someone she has things in common with but someone who opens up to her and she feels she can open up to. Thus, a beautiful friendship with a mysterious pen pal begins in the form of desk notes and later physical notes that they hide under the desk. Who is the mysterious pen pal? You’ll have to read to find out.

“Shut up,” I said.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Your face did.”

“Really? And what did my face say?”

“You know what your face said.”

P.S. I Like You is hilarious, fluffy, and heartwarming albeit a bit cliché at times. It’s your typical YA high school romance, it even has the typical mean girl side plot, but it doesn’t ever actually feel typical. I adored this book so much that I literally spent the whole day reading because I couldn’t put it down, I didn’t want to put it down. I was invested in the main character and her story and that is when you know a book is good.

“You thought my awkwardness was from preconceived plans to be awkward?”

“Yes, actually”

I laughed. “Well now you know the truth.”

I automatically loved Lily, she was such a relatable character. There is this part where she runs into the guy she has a crush on and completely freezes up to the point of becoming mute. That was me in high school. She is an awkward character who also more often than not finds herself blabbing things uncontrollably because of the simple fact that she is nervous. Who can’t relate to situations like that? At the same time, she is also a character who doesn’t care what anyone else thinks of her and I loved that. I enjoyed her quirky sense of style, her love of music, and her sarcastic sense of humor.

I also really loved her friendship with Isabel. No, it wasn’t perfect. But ultimately I loved the fact that they were there for each other no matter what and that they put their friendship above boys.

Another thing I really enjoyed was the family dynamic woven into this book. Lily has a big and loud family. She has three other siblings – an older sister and two younger brothers. One of those siblings, her older sister, she shares a room with. As you can imagine, there is not a dull moment at Lily’s house and sometimes she gets very overwhelmed by all of the craziness. However, she loves her family to bits even when they make her mad. I adored her parents and how much they embarrassed her. In fact, I think her family was one of my favorite things about this book. I love how Kasie West really brought in the family element that I feel isn’t always present in YA contemporary.

You might be wondering about the mysterious pen pal. I don’t want to give too much away because I want anyone who reads this to have the joy and excitement I felt over trying to figure it out. However, we’re introduced to three possible “suspects”:

Cade, a boy who Lily has known for a while that she considers her enemy for the fact that he gave her a terrible nickname and acts like a complete jerk.

David, a boy who Lily’s friend tries repeatedly to set her up with because she feels they have something in common since he is in the school’s band and awkward like her.

Lucas, a boy Lily has had a crush on for the longest time who could be considered the typical rocker boy we all had crushes on in school.

Yes, there is multiple possible love interest in this but don’t let that deter you because Kasie West does this in such a way that it doesn’t ever feel like a bad thing. You’re so involved in the mystery of who her pen pal could be that you want to figure it out through her interactions with each boy.

“My family ignores me, yours is too present. Maybe we can get them all together and somehow they will balance each other out.  Maybe we would balance each other out…”

Another thing that was probably my favorite aspect of this book were the letters between Lily and her pen pal. It was beautiful how something so simple grew into something deeper that had each character confiding in each other in a way that they couldn’t with anyone else. It drove home the point that you never really know someone until you know them (If that makes any sense).

And I can stress it enough how adorable this book was. I found myself fangirling so often because I couldn’t get over it! I know I’ve overused the word love in this review but I honestly loved this book. There isn’t a better way to say it.

“It surprised me when his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. I wasn’t sure why that embarrassed him in any way. I was positive he already knew it. He ran one hand through his hair. Then he said, almost too quiet for me to hear, “You’re not every girl.”

Kasie West’s writing is also extremely engaging and witty and probably a big reason why I couldn’t put this book down. I adored her writing and the way she handled the character development. P.S. I Like You was a great introduction to her books for me and I definitely plan on picking up more of them.

This book is perfect for anyone that is looking for a light and fast-paced YA contemporary with a cute romance. I highly recommend it!

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Have you read P.S. I Like You? What did you think of it? If not, do you want to read it?

 

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