What Are Buzz Residents Reading?: Q&A with Katherine Ochs

This week, I interviewed Buzz resident Katherine Ochs about what she has read recently and loved. She selected Borrow my Heart by Kasie West. The publisher provides this summary: “Wren is used to being called a control freak. She doesn’t care; sticking to the list of rules she created for herself helps her navigate life. But when a cute guy named Asher walks through the door of her neighborhood coffee shop, the rulebook goes out the window. Asher is cute, charming... and being catfished by his online crush. So Wren makes an uncharacteristically impulsive decision—she pretends to be the girl he's waiting for to save him from embarrassment. Suddenly she’s fake-dating a boy she knows nothing about. It's not long before Asher has her breaking even more of her own rules. But will he forgive her when he finds out she's not who she says she is? Wren's not so sure... After all, rules exist for a reason.”

Kirkus says “[t]hough the romance is compelling, West’s best writing tackles the complicated relationship between Wren and her mother, who left her family 7 years prior. The very real emotions of hope, disappointment, and heartache existing among Wren, 20-year-old sister Zoey, and the girls’ mother are well drawn. Kamala is a present and active part of the story….A solid teen romance with strong characterization and nuanced relationships.”
Here is what Katherine has to say about it:

What is the best book you have read recently?

Borrow my Heart by Kasie West.

What did you like about it? What made it stand out to you?

This young adult romance was the perfect summer read. Wren is Type A, but she has so many things out of her control, from the boy she likes at work giving mixed signals, a dog from the shelter who isn’t getting adopted, and her rocky relationship with her fickle mom. Suddenly she meets a boy getting catfished, and his friend is set to humiliate him for it, and she can’t bear to watch the incoming train wreck. So, she steps in as the girl he’s been talking to for weeks. 

How did you learn about the book?

I found this book searching on Libby. It’s an app where you can connect to local libraries and read from their digital e-books for free. You can access it from anywhere with your phone, tablet, or computer.

What are you reading now?

I’ve recently started The Underwood Tapes by Amanda Dewitt, which takes a paranormal twist within the teen fiction genre.

For more book recommendations and bookish thoughts, see Cindy’s monthly Buzz Reads column, her award-winning Thoughts from a Page Podcast or follow @ThoughtsFromaPage on Instagram.