Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West Book Review
“I wondered if life was about facing fears. Sometimes we overcame them and sometimes they overcame us. On the days we won, we had every right to celebrate.”
About
Author: Kasie West
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
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Synopsis
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.
Review
Spoilers Contained Below
Dear Kasie West fans,
When I read this book during the summer, it was one of my favorite summer reads. I could have guessed the plot from a mile away with who Kat liked and who Alana would end up with. So the whole time, I was on the edge of my seat rooting for Diego and Frank and all the romances I knew I wanted to happen..
Kat is someone who knew what she wanted to do from the get go. She wanted to run the Mariana and was receptive to doing the podcast that Alana and her mom convinced her to do. I loved how Kat met Diego when she took Liza to her tutoring sessions. The whole way they started to bond was super cute in how Kat sifted through the three year old magazines, trying to guess what Diego’s interest was. I loved how bold she was in going up to him and demanding him to show her his hands. I know I wouldn’t have the guts to just go up to a guy and say show me your hands. I would have fainted from embarrassment. But she was like a female Sherlock and figured out that he wasn’t a wood worker or a bodybuilder, but a fisher and someone who liked to cook. I couldn’t do that if I just looked at someone’s hands! But it was just a really cute flirtatious moment that was different from the normal meet cutes that usually happen in books.
As the book progressed, I liked how Kat became more invested in the podcast and how she actually ended up liking the sarcastic I-don’t-care persona she put on; What started off as proving she could keep her options open turned into a genuine love.
From the get go, I knew Mr. Looking for Love was Diego and that he liked Kat, but Kat always misread him and she even literally never read the Lake magazine he gave her that asked her to the fall fest. Like honey, he keeps asking you if you read the darn magazine, so obviously something important is in there that you need to read!! And the email of the boy getting bullied was obviously her brother! I knew it was her brother from the way the brother had the ripped t-shirt one day and to the reserved and quiet way he was spending most of his time in the library. Kat really missed all the signs that were obviously there from Diego and her brother when she was focusing on finding herself. And I guess it really is kind of hard to see things that are going on in front of you when you have so much going on in your own life, so I could understand where Kat was coming from.
I also knew Frank would like Alana because he wanted to call a truce to the family feud so that if Alana and him dated, things wouldn’t be awkward between Alana’s best friend—Kat— and him. Frank is someone who I have grown to like the more the book went on. He was someone who was secretly nice and fun, underneath all that snarky playfulness he had with Kat. I think Alana and Frank kissed behind the goalpost that one night and I was having a field day when Kat saw them kiss on top of the Ferris wheel! I just knew it ; )
Kat really opened up towards the end by saying she made a mistake. Then she called Diego and he told her to read the magazine. Again with this magazine Kat!! During this part, I could just picture Kat running dramatically in slow motion to her car to go read the page with the note. And once she FINALLY read the note, I was screaming in my seat because I just KNEW IT!! Kat, you should have read that darn magazine sooner! Suffice to say, I was equal parts frustrated and excited at the prospect of them FINALLY getting together. And looking back now, I can see how their relationship came full circle from how they first met and flirted with magazines to how Diego asked her out with a magazine and how it was the magazine that brought them together from start to finish. I really like that <3
I also liked how Hunter, Kat’s ex, was included and how she realized she got over the idea of him and that she felt free; there were no feelings for him anymore. It really highlighted how she truly moved on and how she was going to let herself be open to other things. I also liked how even though Alana and Kat liked the same person at one point, they were never bitter about it or angry at each other. Instead they were very supportive, which was refreshing because they have such a special friendship. The way that Kat also connected and helped her brother was also such a special brother-sister moment, something all siblings could appreciate.
Other parts I enjoyed was the cook off moment with Frank and Diego and the golf club thing. I think something that was never really touched on was the extent of Diego’s parents strictness and how they hold him back.
Overall, I loved the friendships and relationships formed in this book. It had just the right amount of angsty love and family. It was also satisfying to see all my guesses of the book come to fruition. I think that Kat really grew as a person as well in accepting that she could be or do anything she wanted; she could go down any path besides the one laid out for her. I think because she was so stuck in that mindset in the beginning, it really stopped her from pursuing other things, so when she finally let herself wander, she found herself on a better path for herself. I highly enjoyed this fun, romantic, and light-hearted read.
If you read this book, what was your favorite parts? Not so favorite parts?
And have you ever listened to a podcast before or not? What’s your favorite podcast?
To be honest, I never knew what a podcast was before I read this book. But recently I’ve been getting into listening to some podcasts like Pretty Basic by the queens themselves Remi Cruz and Alisha Marie, Just Between Us by Bailee Madison and Kaitlin Vilasuso, and Getting Curious with the other queen himself, Johnathan Van Ness.
Until next time,
As always, with love,
Rating
4.46 Full Bloom Flowers
Characters: Kat’s very hard-headed and set in her ways about her future at times, but she becomes a character that learns to be open to possibility. If only she could have opened that magazine sooner, am I right? ; )
Plot: I literally screamed at Kat to understand that the magazine Diego gave you had something important in it! HE WAS PROFESSING HIS LOVE TO YOU!
Writing: Simple and a quick read
Romance: Love a good angsty romance. But kind of predictable (in the best way) if you look for the clues