SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK is a perfect warm weather read, filled with cute boys and a feisty heroine.

I wasn't sure if I would really connect with or like Polly, but I was a bit attached to her by the end of the novel. She was spunky, sarcastic, and witty! She begins the novel confused and prickly, but she really grows throughout the novel. She reminds me, in ways, of Veronica Mars: tough as nails, but really just a marshmallow on the inside.

I'm all for fluffy beach reads, so characterizing Swoon as such wouldn't really be insulting in my mind, but I must say that this novel is on a higher level than most beach reads. It has the cute boys and predictable love story, but Polly has more depth than many female leads in fluffy novels. The fact that Polly's main issue was the fear of being without at boyfriend and that she was constantly adopting the hobby of her current beau was extremely realistic - which made it even funnier and Polly all the more easy to relate to.

And oh my gosh: Xander. He was so unbelievably adorable. It was definitely obvious from the beginning of the novel that Xander is the perfect guy for Polly but in her confused and boy phobic state there would be a bit of a journey to her realization of this fact. I loved the tension and buildup to this point. Xander definitely joins the ranks of my favorite book boys! (Yay!)

I will definitely be reading MY BIG NOSE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS, Salter's debut novel, sometime soon! I think I've found a new author to add to my favorites. ( )

Polly has a lot of Daddy issues in this book. She's looking for the attention her father doesn't give her from teenage boys. When Polly doesn't have a boyfriend she feels empty. Every time she gets a boyfriend she becomes who she thinks they want her to be. Whatever they're into, suddenly she's into. This leaves her doing many activities just to impress them. In turn, she loses herself and is only defined by who she's dating at the moment.

Unforunately I know a couple girls like this. Unsurprisingly, the relationships don't work out for Polly, resulting in a lot of ex boyfriends floating around. She gets to the point where she swears off all men in general. In doing this she's overlooking the one guy who's been aound the whole time and into what makes Polly....Polly. Will it be too late to still give this one a chance?

I'd say this one is worth a read. The whole book I found myself screaming at Polly to give this guy Xander a chance. It was a little frustrating when she just keeps resisting him when she know she wants him too. My question is why deny yourself something that you deserve?? ( )

I loved Salter’s debut novel, My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters, I kid you not. I bawled like a 5 year-old for some reason. I had a huge grin on my face that my mom had to stop and ask why I was happy. When I find a novel that good I stalk the author. Seriously I’m like a rabid dog that will not let go until the owner of said leg dies…or something (preferably the something).

Swoon at Your Own Risk doesn’t deliver the initial love I had. My expectation bar was high, but the jump was just a few notches down from the clear. I think for me the hardest part to read was Polly herself. She was just so easily persuaded. I felt too frustrated to even enjoy the novel completely. I wish her internal mind somehow connects to her external mouth, which eventually does happen….

Swoon at Your Own Risk plays of childhood friends grown apart but grew extremely hot somewhere in between those years. Yes prepare for some swooning of your own ladies. Okay I’m not going to bore with all those needless details; I liked the book, but didn’t love it. There were chapters I gobbled up like a chocolate and some I had to waddle through like thick molasses. Some characters I yearned for more and others I learned to appreciate with a few that I would have been fine to never have read. ( )

Ahhh...summer romance. What joy.

Wait, what am I saying? Summer romance rarely ends well, especially when you can't decide who to be romantic about!

SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK by Sydney Salter was a very cute and quite funny read. Following Polly (aka Pollywog) through her summer adventures in romance, this book gives us a cute tale that is both funny and at times a bit moving as well. Part of what makes this book such a good read is the format it's written in. From the first person point-of-view, it's very easy to follow Polly and see the sorts of shenanigans she gets herself into. From the first page, the reader gets hooked in her descriptions and inner turmoil. Whether she's staring at Sawyer, thinking about any of her other ex-boyfriends, or pondering the mysterious Xander, Polly's mind give us some vivid and colorful detail.

Have you ever had that experience where you read a story and think, "You know, it would be awesome to have these characters as friends." That was how I felt about SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK. Polly was quirky and at times could probably be a cruddy friend, but you could tell she always cared. She's a character that you want to follow; one that makes your heart pull for her.

The plot of SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK was robust and easy to follow. Polly has sworn off all boys after her latest disastrous relationship. With the unfortunate issue of having already accepted a summer job at the water park with the newest Ex as her boss, Polly's summer is looking to be pretty lame. Fortunately, being at a water park in the middle of a hot summer has its advantages. When Polly catches sight of Xander Cooper, shirtless and looking pretty stinking hot, her confusion flashes into overdrive. Wasn't this the same nerdy kid she went to elementary school with? Well, people change, and Polly is about to find out just how much.

If I were headed to the beach right now and had to pick one book that I could take with me, I would take SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK. I dub this the perfect summer read, right up there with Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. It was funny, lighthearted, at times pretty emotional, and Salter really did an amazing job developing the main characters. Over time we get to peel back the layers of Polly and figure out who she really is. It's pretty amusing that Polly learns right along with us and this makes for some cute moments.

This is the first book by Sydney Salter I have read, but I can tell you that she has gained a new fan. As soon as I can sneak away with the plastic, I'll be grabbing her other books. Her writing style is clear, her characters are engaging, and overall she creates a story that sticks in the mind and has you turning back to read the book again as soon as you've finished it. ( )

I LOVE LOVE LOVED Sydney Salter's My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters so I just knew I had to give Swoon At Your Own Risk I try. Unfortunately this book didn't quite do it for me like her previous one did.

I think this is rare for me but I just didn't really like the main character Polly. She wasn't a bad person by any means but I don't know if she wasn't believable to me. I can't pinpoint it but I didn't really like her. Same goes for her mother and grandmother who were sort of absent in her life while still being around (and her father who actually was absent). I thought her little sister Grace was funny though, with her stuffed animal obsession.

And I thought the whole multiple ex-boyfriends plot would be funny but it turned out to be sort of annoying and unbelievable to me. I don't know why, but I can't believe that she had that many ex-boyfriends in that amount of time. Something was off. Same goes for all the minor characters (except for Xander). I just didn't like them. Polly's best friend Jane made me mad and all her wild co-workers at Wild Waves just didn't seem that like good of people to me.

But Xander, someone that Polly knew from childhood as the weird kid, blossoms into this handsome and confident young man. I loved this guy and how he was so sweet when Polly was hot and cold and yes and no (to quote Katy Perry). I kinda just wish he was falling for someone other than Polly. It sounds so mean when I say that but I honestly thought that while reading.

I'm not really sure how I could feel this way about Swoon when I so loved Big Nose but I do. Honestly it could just be me, be sure to check out some of the other reviews! I'll definitely be reading the author's future works though to see if maybe I can find some of that Big Nose magic again! ( )