Blog Tour Review: Kiss Cam by Kiara London (+ A GIVEAWAY)

Kiss Cam
Kiara London
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: October 18th 2016
Genres: Romance, Young Adult

In Kiss Cam, teen author Kiara London asks, what’s a little harmless kissing between friends?

Juniper, Jasper, and Lenny have been friends forever and co-own a vlog channel called WereVloggingHere. Their fans are huge “shippers” who believe that Juniper and Jasper are perfect for each other, and, despite warnings from friends and family, a simple Truth-or-Dare inspired kiss soon spirals out of control into a whole new world of making out and surprise kisses.

Juniper and Jasper’s relationship begins to shift. But as fan requests for different “Kiss Cam” segments keep pouring in, Juniper puts her worries aside and convinces herself that it doesn’t mean anything. After all, it’s just kissing… right?

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I can be pretty picky about contemporary books, and this is the first one I’ve read in a bit that I really enjoyed.  I’m a big YouTube watcher (the book’s version is called VlogIt) and a sucker for best friend romances, so I couldn’t wait to read Kiss Cam and I wasn’t disappointed.  I thought I’d like it, but it even exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed how the romance played out between Juniper and Jasper, and it didn’t feel cheesy or overly cringy like some high school romances do to me.  Their relationship evolved organically and there was zero insta-love. I think that’s a big part of the reason why I enjoy friends-to-lovers tropes so much.  The characters already have strong relationships, so it never feels like their love for each other comes out of nowhere.

Lenny, June, and Jasper have an incredible friendship, and their individual personalities complimented each other. I loved that Lenny never felt left out, and that there wasn’t any aspect of a love triangle between them at any point in the story.  There were a lot of layers to their friendships as a trio as well as individually with each other, and it was interesting how they all fit together.  They each brought different strengths to their relationships, and although their friendship changed over the course of the book as June and Jasper worked out their feelings for each other, they all continued to support each other throughout.

The VlogIt aspects of the book were some of my favorites. June, Jasper, and Lenny are VlogIt stars, but still attend high school and do typically high schooler activities, like going to school dances and pulling pranks on each other.  I loved how their vlogging was natural and interwoven into their lives, and it was interesting how their vlogs became a catalyst for Juniper and Jasper’s relationship.  It was something different that I hadn’t read about in a contemporary before, and I really enjoyed that aspect.

I recommend Kiss Cam to anyone who loves YouTubers, “shipping,” and a great romance.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Author Bio:

Kiara London is the internet savvy, hopelessly romantic alter ego of Bethany Novak-Tveten, who in real life is part of the US Air Force. She started writing on the online writing site Booksie when she was thirteen and then transferred to Wattpad where her debut novel Kiss Cam was originally posted. She spends most of her time scrolling down Tumblr, attempting to read everything she can get her hands on, and drooling over fictional men.

Wattpad / Goodreads / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

A print copy of Kiss Cam

a Rafflecopter giveaway (US only)