Listen to Your Heart

by Kasie West

Talking to other people isn't Kate Bailey's favorite activity. She'd much rather be out on the lake, soaking up the solitude and sunshine. So when her best friend, Alana, convinces Kate to join their high school's podcast, Kate is not expecting to be chosen as the host. Now she'll have to answer calls and give advice on the air? Impossible.

But to Kate's surprise, she turns out to be pretty good at the hosting gig. Then the podcast gets in a call from an anonymous guy, asking for advice about his unnamed crush. Kate is pretty sure that the caller is gorgeous Diego Martinez, and even surer that the girl in question is Alana. Kate is excited for her friend . . . until Kate herself starts to develop feelings for Diego. Suddenly, Kate finds that while doling out wisdom to others may be easy, asking for help is tougher than it looks, and following your own advice is even harder.

Kasie West's adorable story of secrets, love, and friendship is sure to win over hearts everywhere.

• ISBN10: 1338210068
• ISBN13: 9781338210064
• Publish Date: 28 May 2019 (first published 29 May 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Scholastic US
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joséphine]

Initial thought: Kasie West is quite prolific with her fluffy romance novels. None of the ones I've read since The Distance Between Us have measured up though. After reading Love, Life, and the List, I figured I've had my fill of her books, and am ready to move on. Then I read her short story inSnow in Love, which made me feel all warm and fuzzy. I decided to give her novels another shot.

Listen to Your Heart perfectly fit me mood, which is why I enjoyed it a fair bit. I also loved the setting with the lake and Kate's family's marina. Plus, Kate was a main character who was willing to work at something to learn and get better, but wasn't above making mistakes. Also, best friends who treasured each other above boys, even if they were hung up on them! Much love for that. With that, I think I will continue to reach for Kasie West novels when I'm in search of a pick-me-up.

On a side note, I liked the audiobook narrator, except when she pronounced groceries as "grosheries," which grated on me. Every time that word came up, and it wasn't infrequent, I had to cringe. Not sure if the narrator actually pronounces it this way, or if she was emulating how people speak in the region of the setting.

[ladygrey]

Another cute, fun Kasie West book. Not quite as swooney as some of her others. Then again, there isn't as much angst as some of the others also. It's a trade but placid on the Kasie West scale is still cute and fun.

[kymmiejournals]

5 Not-my-problem stars!



What a page-turner! I enjoyed reading this light YA book, and Kasie West did it again. I think I read all her books and I love her writing style - nothing heavy, just pure fun. I like Kate and Alana's friendship - strong and solid. Diego's way of asking Kate to the Fall Festival is kinda lame because he's playing it safe.

[liz089]

Once again a cute and fluffy YA contemporary/romance novel, like to be expected of Kasie West. It was not very exciting and very predictable... but I liked reading it anyway. It is a nice break to read these kind of books :) The main character was very likeble, and I enjoyed the whole podcast theme surrounding her. She was funny :) And I enjoyed her chaotic family.
Only the love interest was not really to my liking.. he seemed kind of flat and one dimensional.. Which seems to be a reccuring problem for me with her novels. Ah well, we can't have it all XD
3.5 stars... but I will round it up for Kate :)

[Sam@WLABB]

There is a reason why I always cheer, that KWest is best, and it's books like Listen to Your Heart that remind me of those reasons.

This book, like West's other books, featured a wonderful cast of characters. The main character, Kate, was in a little bit of a funk. She was still trying to mend her broken heart, and just wanted to spend all her free time in her sanctuary - the lake. But she was forced into the spotlight, and reluctantly took on the job of podcast co-host, and it was wonderful watching her grow into the role, and find there was more to her than her love of the lake. Then there was Diego. He was everything I love in a book boyfriend. He was sweet, considerate, fun, smart, and caring. His interactions with his niece and nephew were adorable, and so were those moments he shared with Kate.

Another wonderful thing West often does is incorporate family into her stories, and Kate had this HUGE super close knit family. It was pretty great, the way Kate's aunts, uncles, and cousins were her neighbors, and cousins' night was like nth level family fun. There were a lot of really sweet displays of family bonding in this book, and they often tugged on my heartstrings.

As always, West crafted a story which blended the light and fluffy with weightier issues. There were crushes and friendships, but there were also characters dealing with things like bullying. The tone was always on pitch when going from the lighter to the heavier topics, but it never got stuck, and it's that balance that I am always looking for in the books I read.

Highlights:
☑️ Fun family focus
☑️ Swoony love interest
☑️ Awesome female friendship
☑️ Interesting and entertaining podcasts
☑️ Sweet and adorable romance

All I can say is that this was exactly what I needed. I swooned a bunch, and smiled till my face hurt. What more could I ask for?

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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