Blog Tour Stop : Solving for Ex by LeighAnn Kopans

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Solving for Ex 
Author : LeighAnn Kopans
Publication Date: February 11th 2014
Publisher : Self-Published
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

1 crush on your best friend +
1 gorgeous, scheming new girl +
1 Mathletics competition =
1 big mess

SIMPLIFY.

Ashley Price doesn’t have much in life after being bullied so hard she had to leave her old school to live with her aunt and uncle in Pittsburgh. But the camera she borrowed from her best friend and secret crush Brendan, and her off the charts math abilities, make things a lot more bearable. Plus, since Brendan is the captain, making the school Mathletes team should be easy.

But when gorgeous new girl Sofia rolls in and steals Brendan, Ashley's place on the team, and her fragile foothold on the Mansfield Park Prep social totem pole, it’s on. Sofia is everything Ashley left her old school to escape. The only thing Ashley didn’t count on is Sofia’s sexy twin brother Vincent.

Vincent is not only the hottest boy in school, he’s charming, sweet, and he’s got his eye on Ashley. He’s also not taking no for an answer. There's no real reason Ashley shouldn't like Vincent, but with the
battle lines being drawn between her and Sofia, Ashley’s not sure which side he’s on. Or which side she wants him to be on.

She does know Sofia is trouble with a capital T, and she’s determined to make Brendan see it.

SOLVING FOR EX is a YA contemporary romance that remixes Mansfield Park as Clueless meets Mean Girls in a crazy mix of high school society, mathletic competition, and teenage romance.

Personal Thoughts

Solving for Ex appealed to both the YA contemporary lover and the math geek inside of me when I first caught a glimpse of the cover. It's one of those stories that I know will always manage to put me in a good mood if I go back and re-read it. For me, Solving for Ex was an absolute delight and it most definitely made me want to go check out more of LeighAnn's works.

I adored the characters in Solving for Ex. They were just so darn cute with their obsession with Math. I instantly clicked with our main character, Ashley. She's gone through a rough period at school when she befriends Branden, but she doesn't allow that to take over her life. She's learned to overcome her bullies and to stand up for herself, and she's also learned to make good friends. Her friendship with Branden was one of the highlights of this book for me. I loved how passionate they both were about Math and how comfortable they were around each other. You could tell that their friendship was genuine and I just wanted their friendship to move further from that friend-zone. It's clear early on that Ashley has feeling for Branden, but she's unable to express them because she's a little introverted. Just when she's made the decision to open up to Branden, a new girl, Sofia, comes to school and catches Branden's attention and before Ashley knows it, she's stealing Branden away from her. I liked how despite being upset about the situation, Ashley never once acts jealous around Branden. Sofia was that girl who was all nice in front of everyone, but in reality, she had her a hidden agenda. Unfortunately for me, I've met way too many people like her.

I also really enjoyed Branden as a character although I really wanted to hit him sometimes because of how clueless he was when it came to Ashley. Still though, he was a sweet-heart who was totally adorable. One thing that I really respect the author in this book for was how she didn't go with the typical YA stereotypes. Very often in YA contemporary, popular girls are depicted as these awful mean girls who only care about clothes and boys and hung out with the in-crowd. This was not the case with Solving for Ex. Some of the mathletes were popular kids and that pleased me very much. The relationship between Ashley and Branden was the cutest, like I mentioned above. There was some tension between them with the arrival of Sofia, but her presence did prove to be quite beneficial. Another aspect that LeighAnn tackled in this book that made me want to sing her praises was teenage sex. For some reason, some YA authors tend to shy away from the theme. Sex is part of many teenagers lives so I don't see why more authors don't include them in their books.

Overall, this was a fantastic YA contemporary novels that just had me smiling like a crazy lady at the end. Cute, fun and smart, Solving for Ex has made me a fan of LeighAnn Kopans!

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Author Biography

Raised on comic books and classic novels, Leigh Ann developed an early love of science fiction and literature. As an adult, she rediscovered her love for not only reading, but also writing the types of fiction that enchanted her as a teen.

Solving for Ex was born of her love for Jane Austen’s classics, and how they taught her that love stories could be funny and wickedly smart.

Leigh Ann, her husband, and four children live in Columbus, Ohio. When she’s not immersed in the world of fiction, you can find her obsessing over the latest superhero movie or using her kids as an excuse to go out for ice cream (again.)

Contact Links

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/LeighAnnKopans

Website: http://www.leighannkopans.com/index2.php

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeighAnnKopansbooks

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6439443.LeighAnn_Kopans

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/leighannkopans/

Blog: http://leighannkopans.blogspot.com.es

Giveaway

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Thank you to LeighAnn and The Fantastic Flying Book Club for allowing me to be part of this blog tour. Please check out the tour stops here.