Title: Defying Gravity
Author: Kendra C. Highley
Pages: 174
Genre: YA Contemporary
Release Date: 25 July 2016

From Goodreads: "Disclaimer: This book contains enough sexual tension to melt snow, the hottest near-kiss in the history of near-kisses, and a sexy snowboarder determined to win the heart of the girl he loves.

Zoey Miller lives for her holidays in Aspen. Her time up on the mountain with the Madison brothers, Parker and Luke, is everything. But for the first time, it’s not enough. This time, she’s determined to win one of the brothers’ hearts. But the brother she has in mind is a renowned player, with hordes of snow-bunnies following him around Snowmass resort. And the other…well, he’s her best friend and knows she deserves better. Namely him. And he’s going to win her heart."

Thank you to Entangled Teen for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for review!

Defying Gravity is the second book in the Finding Perfect series, with characters from the first book making an appearance in this book. However, this book can be read as a standalone and you don't have to worry about missing anything from the first installment! This is becoming a trend (somehow) with a lot of books I've picked up lately, where it is the second in a series but is perfect as a standalone. I thought it would drive me nuts, not knowing what happened in the previous book, but I actually really enjoy them whether I've read the previous books or not. When an author is able to effortlessly expand on a world that they've built and blend any previous or future novels perfectly, I get so intrigued and am immediately interested in reading more!

Immediately after starting the book, I made my prediction about who Zoey would end up with and also spent the entire book wanting to shout at her to make up her mind! Honestly, it was fun going on the journey from start to finish with her and watching her figure things out for herself despite me wanting her to hurry up and just choose. Zoey was a really solid character, although she seems slightly insecure in herself. She had her "Texas Zoey" and her "Aspen Zoey" and throughout the book, she didn't seem to be happy with her "Texas Zoey." By the end of the book, I feel like she was much more confident in just being herself and not trying to put on a different persona just to impress people. I liked that she was able to make that decision to just be happy with who she was and be who she felt comfortable being. It sends a really good message to readers that being yourself isn't a bad thing, and to embrace who you really are.

Reading all about the snowboarding was really interesting, as it's a topic I don't commonly find in books. I've always thought it was fascinating and, even though I had no idea what any of the phrases or tricks were, it was definitely a fun read! Also, making Aspen as the setting allowed me to paint some absolutely beautiful pictures in my head as to the scenery and surroundings. Kendra C. Highley was able to really transport me to the mountain with her descriptive writing skills, and absolutely shines at drawing the reader in no matter where the characters are. I really felt like I could hop on a snowboard and take on The Cirque myself by the end!

Despite contemporary not being my go-to genre, Defying Gravity was a wonderful read. It was funny, with just the right amount of smooching and drama, and some really likable characters that had me laughing almost constantly throughout the book. Zoey was sassy and spunky, Parker was sweet and passionate, and Luke was just a big jerk most of the time, but really did seem to care when it came to Zoey's safety. This book definitely got me interested in picking up Finding Perfect so I can read more about Paige and Ben!

If you're looking for a nice, chilled out (haha, see what I did there?) contemporary romance to curl up and read, then Defying Gravity is the book for you! You'll find great characters, some amazing settings, and a very satisfying ending! The book comes out on July 25th, so be sure to pick it up on release day!